What If?
by WriteChristineR
Summary: Remember Lorelai and Rory's fight? This is my take on what could have happened if they didn't make up. Note that I wrote this awhile ago, while the fight was going on.
1. Chapter 1

What if?

Chapter 1

It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. She was getting married, after all. She loved her fiancée, and they had been going out for the past three years. Everything about the wedding itself was beautiful and very high-class, just like the fairytale wedding she had always dreamed of. There was a huge turn-out, hundreds of people were in the audience. It seemed this was the marriage event of the year. In spite of all this, she couldn't help thinking about who wasn't there.

It wasn't like this was anything new. They had barely spoken in almost two years. Unfortunately, this was the only thing she could think about.

"You ready, Rory?" her grandfather said softly, with a gently squeeze of her hand and a small, almost sad, smile.

She took a deep breath. "Yea," she breathed. In her preoccupation, she could barely get it out.

Her grandfather's smile broadened. He no longer looked sad. He could tell she was nervous. "You'll be fine," he said solemnly. "You're a Gilmore."

She smiled as she walked down the aisle, but it seemed more for show. Each beat of her heart brought on another pang of guilt. _I should have invited her. _This thought kept flowing through her head, haunting her, making it impossible to enjoy the event. She knew it would be frowned upon to look behind her, but she caught an inconspicuous glance at her bridesmaids following her down the aisle. Her two best friends, Lane Kim and Paris Gellar, were smiling back at her. She knew she should have a matron of honor as well. _I should call her, _she thought, and not for the first time, although she knew she wouldn't.

She stood there numbly while the preacher went through the standard procedures. Between the rehearsal and the many movies she had seen, she knew exactly what he was going to say. "Lorelai Leigh Gilmore," she hated the sound of her own name at this moment more than she could remember ever hating it before. She used to love her name. "Do you take Logan Huntzburger to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

She hesitated. _Do I really want to do this?_ This was not the time to have second thoughts. _I don't have to go through with it. I can go home and call her. She's my mother, she should at least know that I'm getting married. Logan will understand. _But in reality she knew that she couldn't do that. She just couldn't. So many people had gone to so much trouble to make this wedding a success. She didn't think she had ever seen so many expensive things in one place before in her life. And so many people! It was like the wedding event of the year or something, she couldn't disappoint this many hundred people all at the same time.

Although it seemed like longer, it only took a second for all this to go through her mind. "I do."

Of course, the after party was fantastic. Great food and everything elegant, just like the rest of the event. Everyone stopped to congratulate her. Her friends, family, and just a few too many people she had never seen before. Through all of this, she still couldn't help thinking about the two people who didn't even know this was going on. _They used to be two of the most important people in my life. _

Only one person at the event seemed to sense her unhappiness. Someone who had some experience herself with family trouble. Of course, nothing quite like this. "Hey Rory, congratulations!" she said on approach. "Wow, I can't believe you're married! It's so… amazing, I guess. Wow."

Rory smiled another believable, yet fake, smile. "I know, Lane. It's wonderful," she replied. She said it halfheartedly, but with some enthusiasm, again, for show.

Lane started to walk away, and indicated that Rory should follow just as she was about to turn away. Leave it to Lane to sneak the bride out of the party and into an empty room without anyone noticing. "Rory, you should call her," she said immediately.

"I know, Lane. I just… can't."

"Why? You two used to be so close. What happened? You have to make up sometime. Why not now, use your getting married as an excuse."

"Lane, she's not going to see this as a happy thing. She never even liked Logan. She's not going to be happy to find out that we're married and I didn't even tell her."

"She's going to find out eventually."

"How?"

"Come on, Rory. She still talks to your grandparents sometimes. There are like three hundred people here, someone's going to tell her. Don't you think it would be better if she found out from you?"

"I know, you're right. But I can't tell her. We've hardly even spoken in like two years. How am I going to call her and say, "Hey Mom, guess what? I just married Logan. I didn't invite you, but I thought you'd want to know."

"Well, that would work."

"No, Lane. It's won't work. I was being sarcastic. I can't tell her, I can't call her. Not now."

"Then I'll do it," Lane said firmly.

"Lane…" Rory whined. "No, not now, please."

"Not now. But I will. Tomorrow. I'll call you on your cell phone to tell you how it went."

"Lane, you are not going to call me on my honeymoon to tell me how newly upset my mother is with me. I would like to enjoy it."

"I'll leave you a voicemail message after I tell her. I promise I'll keep it brief. Call me for the details if you want."

"Fine," Rory sighed.

"Why didn't you invite her? I mean, I know you aren't exactly getting along great, but couldn't you just invite her and ignore her?"

"No. She wouldn't be happy. I wouldn't be happy. All these people, all the stuff she hates. It's better like this, trust me. Now I should really go back to the party, I'm the bride."

"Fine, but one more thing. You can't tell me you don't wish she was here, can you?"

Rory gave a tiny shake of her head, and an even tinier sad smile, and went back to the party.

"Can you believe it, Ace? Hawaii! I mean, I've been here before but man, this is so much better! I mean, we're on our honeymoon, can you believe it?" Logan was a little excited when they got to their hotel room.

Feeling a little better now that they were away from all the people, noise, and money, Rory replied, "Yea, It's wonderful." It was only partially halfhearted, and Logan didn't even notice.

"So, what do you want to do? Unpack, go to the bar and hang out, are you hungry? We could eat. I think I saw a casino downstairs somewhere, we could hang there for awhile. Or we could just go to bed," he said with a slight smirk.

Rory caught it. "I'm actually kind of tired. Big day, you know?"

"Oh, okay. I liked that option, too," Logan said, grinning.

"No Logan, I'm serious," Rory said, with a small giggle. I really do want to go to bed."

"Oh, okay. You're no fun. We're on our honeymoon, remember?"

"I know, Logan. I'm just tired."

"Yea, fine."

After dinner the next night, Rory checked her voicemail. She had a message. Sure enough, it was from Lane.

"Hi Rory, it's me. Uh, I told her. Call me back if you want, otherwise I'll see you when you get back."

"Wow, she wasn't kidding about the 'brief' part," Rory said out loud.

"What?" Logan asked, smiling.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just Lane."

"Oh, okay. Everything alright?"

"Oh yea. She just said she'd call and she did." She was keeping it light, she was on her honeymoon. But she had visions of how it went when Lane told Lorelai. She didn't like any of them.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

One Year Later

She stood facing the glass, holding Logan's hand. On the other side were rows of newborns, all with a pink or blue blanket. They were staring at one with a pink blanket. The slip of paper next to it said Emma Lorelai Huntzburger.

"She's perfect," Logan said. "So beautiful."

"Yea," said Rory, smiling a genuine smile. "She is." In spite of her happiness, she felt a familiar wave of regret. _She should be here. She would want to see this._

Of course, Rory hadn't called her. She didn't know where Rory was right now. Thanks to Lane, she knew Rory was pregnant. That was it.

Rory dialed a number on her cell phone. "Hi, Lane? It's Rory. It's a girl!"

Six Months Later

Rory was feeding Emma her lunch when the phone rang. "Okay, Emma. One sec," she said. "Hello?"

She couldn't believe what she heard in response. A very familiar "Hi, Rory."

"Oh, mom. Hi," she could only reply.

"So, am I ever going to get to meet my granddaughter?" From her mother's tone of voice, Rory could tell this was not going to be a pleasant phone call. "I mean, when Lane told me you were married, I have to confess, I was a little surprised. I mean, I don't think Kirk has been messing with the mail recently, so why I never got my invitation I guess I'll never know. But when she told me you were pregnant, and then told me it was a girl and already born, I thought you would have at least called once. I mean, I know we don't exactly talk that much anymore, but I'm still your mother. My parents even got to meet you before you were six months old. Hell, I lived with them until you were one! I'm sorry Rory, but you not even telling me she existed is just a little too cold for me. Would you ever have told me? If it weren't for Lane, would I even know you're married right now? Would I?"

There was an awkward pause. "You wouldn't have liked that I married Logan. I knew you wouldn't be happy there."

"And you're just all of a sudden so concerned with my happiness! Oh yea Rory, great plan. Hearing everything I will apparently ever know about your life from Lane, finding out my daughter is married and I'm a grandmother from Lane instead of my daughter; that makes me really happy. Ecstatic, really. I'm so glad you chose not to tell me, not to invite me to your wedding. Thanks Rory, you're a great daughter. Really."

"Mom…"

"No, don't 'Mom' me. Don't. Oh, and Lane told me that your daughter has my name! Her middle name's Lorelai. Well, that's great. You named her partly after me, and I didn't even know she existed! Thank you, Rory."

"Okay, from the time I was two, I barely even knew my grandparents. You kept me so far removed from them, I really didn't get to know them until I was sixteen! Why shouldn't I do the same with my daughter? We're not getting along, you and Grandma never really got along, why is it different?"

"So why is our relationship all of a sudden so comparable to mine with my parents? That never used to be a thing. We used to be so close, Rory. My mother and I were never close. Never. We would still be just as close as ever if you didn't get that stupid internship, steal that stupid yacht, get arrested, quit Yale and move in with my parents! None of which would have happened if you weren't dating that Logan kid! So I'm supposed to be thrilled with this, sure Rory, I am. It's your fault our relationship suddenly sucks. Your fault! My relationship with my parents, that was a mistake of fate. Not my fault!"

"If I hadn't moved in with Grandma and Grandpa, you would not have gotten off my case about going back to Yale. It turned out that wasn't the right life for me. I'm really happy with my life right now. You're still bitter about that! I can't believe it! It's not like I still live with them, we have our own house now. And you cut me out of your life. You never bothered to try to make up. Why should I have? You not only cut me off from you, you cut me off from your whole life. All of Star's Hollow. I used to love everything, everybody there! I can't even go there anymore. I haven't talked to Luke, or Babette, or Patty, or even Kirk since we've been fighting. I miss it! I miss all of it! I didn't do that to you. You can go see Grandma and Grandpa, talk to them anytime you like. I can't! I'm sorry, but that stinks!"

"Don't even get me started. Don't throw that 'Yale wasn't the right life for me' crap at me. Just don't. That would have been the right life for you if you hadn't freaked out and quit. And yes, honestly I would have bugged you to go back to Yale, but that would have been great. You would be a Yale graduate right now, not a housewife DAR rich woman. That's not how I raised you. Not even close. And you can come back to Star's Hollow anytime you want. I'm not stopping you! Talk to Luke. Hell, go to Luke's. I really don't care. Your choice. Stop by the inn, talk to Sookie. Get a room for all I care, I'll treat you just like I'd treat any other customer. I'm not cutting you off from anything, so don't act like I'm such a jerk!"

"If I ran into you, you'd be so cold, I don't think I could stand it."

"And this is a really warm and fuzzy conversation we're having right now. I'm surprised you haven't panicked and hung up yet."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Come on Rory, I know we haven't talked in awhile, but I still know you. You can't handle criticism! You can't handle yelling at people, them yelling at you. You freak out and cry!"

At this moment, there were silent tears running down her face, but it didn't show in her voice. She would never let Lorelai know that. "Well, maybe I'm different now. Are you about done?"

"Well, let's see. I have one more thing. You said you didn't get to know your grandparents until you were sixteen. How do I know I will even get that? How do I know you won't keep your daughter from me until I'm dead? How do I know I'll ever get to meet her? No, I don't want to just get to meet her. I want to get to know her. I want to have a relationship with her. Even if we don't get along, I can still get along with your daughter. We share a name, at least sort of. I want to know her."

"Okay, in case you forgot, my name is Lorelai too. I didn't necessarily name her after you. You're being so vane! And there's Gran, I could have named her after Gran. And stop calling her 'your daughter' and stop saying it so bitter! She never did anything to you; honestly she never did anything to anyone. She spit up on Logan once, but that's about it. Anyway, her name's Emma, you know her middle name so well, learn her first name! I am going to be fair though. I heard what you said, and I guess you sort of have a point. On the day after Emma's sixteenth birthday, I want to be with my daughter on her birthday, she will meet you. Whether for the day, after school, or just for dinner, it will be up to her. She should be able to make her own decisions by then. From there, depending on how you get along, the two of you can figure out when you will see each other in the future. Sound fair?"

"Yea, I guess that's at least sort of fair. I can live with that. I'm actually so happy with that that I will ignore the fact that you called me vane. But I do have to add that I already like, okay, Emma. She had enough sense to spit up on Logan, that shows some character."

Rory hung up. She was crying hard now.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Fifteen and a Half Years Later

"Emma, you don't have to do this," Rory said. She was sitting on Emma's bed, watching a tall teenage girl with long brown curly hair and bright blue eyes carefully brush her hair. She was very pretty. She wore a knee-length denim skirt and a pink long sleeve v-neck shirt with darker pink glitter on it in an intricate curvy pattern.

"Mom, you already told me I do have to. You made this promise when I was a baby, I'm not going to back out now. It's fine. I'll do it. It's just dinner. No big deal."

"You've never even met my mother. You can't tell me you aren't even a little nervous. I'm nervous and I'm not even going to see her."

"No big deal," Emma said, as she pulled her hair back with glittery pink barrette shaped like a butterfly. It matched her shirt perfectly. "You've told me enough about her. She had you when she was sixteen. She's married to a guy named Luke who owns a diner. She owns an inn called the Dragonfly. Her best friend's name is Sookie St. James. She found out everything she knows about our life from Lane. You haven't talked to her since you had an uncomfortable shouting conversation on the phone when I was six months old. You ended up in tears."

"I never told you that."

"Yes you did. You told me about the conversation about a month ago."

"I know I told you about the conversation, but I never told you I ended up in tears. Where did you get that?"

"I know you, Mom. You can't stand having someone yell at you. You can't stand yelling at anyone else. I would be willing to bet that you ended the conversation by hanging up and crying."

"God. You know me way too well."

"I'm with you too often," Emma said smiling.

"Yea, maybe. I'm going to have to stop hanging out with you, nothing in my life is private anymore."

"Nothing is ever private with me. You should know that by now."

"I know, you can get anything out of anyone. I don't know where you get that, I'm not like that at all."

"Who knows? We have to go though, I don't want to be late."

"That you get from me. Okay, time to drive back to Star's Hollow."

"Do you think she'll like me?" Emma asked Rory. They were on the way to Star's Hollow, Rory driving her silver BMW.

"I'm sure she'll love you."

"No, really. I don't want an 'I'm your mother so I'll tell you what you want to hear' answer, I want a real answer. I want to be prepared for anything that might happen in there."

Rory sighed. "You are way too logical for me. Why can't I have a normal daughter that just wants to be reassured that everything will be okay?"

"I don't know, but you have me. I need information. Real information."

"Okay. As long as it's been since I've talked to my mother civilly, we still know quite a bit about each other. We used to be really close, I've told you that, right?"

"Yea, you've told me that. But get to the point, please. I don't want to get there before I have as much information as I can get."

"Okay, okay. My mother is a bit stubborn. She's really good at holding grudges. She told me it burns more calories once, I didn't believe it then, and I still don't, but I think she does," Rory said, with a small smile. "It's very possible she's still bitter about our fight, and she might take it out on you. Don't be surprised, and don't take it personally."

"That's something. Um, I don't think you ever told me. What kind of fight keeps a mother and daughter from talking for almost twenty years? What happened? Why did you fight in the first place?"

"Oh. Didn't I tell you that? No, I didn't. I was hoping you wouldn't ask. I really should have had a stupid daughter so I wouldn't have to tell her all these things. Okay, I guess you need to know."

"Yes, I do need to know. And no, you didn't tell me."

"Okay, fine. Here goes. You know how I always told you I never went to college?"  
"Yes, but I'm going to. You don't have to tell me that again," said Emma impatiently. She had heard the same lecture multiple times and she was afraid it was about to start again. "I'm going to get into a great college like Harvard, or Princeton, or Yale, that's where Dad went, isn't it?

"Yes, and you will get into one of those places, you're definitely smart enough. You'll get into all of them," Rory said. Just as Emma was about to roll her eyes and make a comment about Rory telling her what she wanted to hear again, Rory added something Emma hadn't expected. "Like I did." Her voice suddenly got quiet, but Emma heard it loud and clear.

"Wait, you got into Harvard, Princeton, and Yale? Why didn't you go to one of them?"

"I did."

"Okay, something doesn't make sense here. You graduated from an Ivy League university, and you told me you never went to college? Why?"

"I never said I graduated, I said I went to one."

"Oh, geez. What happened?"

"Long story."

"Longer than fifteen minutes? I think that's about what we have until we get there, right?"

"No, fifteen minutes should cover it, unless you ask a lot of questions, which you probably will."

"Um, who are you talking to? Yea, I'm going to ask questions."

"Fine. I guess I'll try to get through it anyway. Which one do you think I went to?"

"Hmm… I could see you at Harvard…"

"I used to dream of going to Harvard when I was in high school. Actually, from the time I was pretty much born until I was in high school, it was going to be Harvard."

"So I'm right?"

"No, when I found out I got accepted to all three, my mother and I made I pro-con list. We used to do that a lot, for major decisions, you know?"

"Yea, that usually works pretty well."

"Well, I guess it did. The pro-con list said Yale, so I went there."

"You went to Yale? That's where Dad and Paris went, isn't it?"

"Yes it is. I met your dad there. I knew Paris in high school, you knew that, but I didn't find out she went to Yale until she showed up in my suite, she was one of my roommates."

"Nice coincidence."

"Nothing is ever a coincidence with Paris, but that's a totally different story."

"Okay, so why didn't you graduate?"

"Well, your grandfather on your dad's side, Mitchum Huntzburger, offered me an internship on one of the newspapers he ran. I always wanted to be a journalist."

"Did you take it?"

"Of course I took it, it was a great opportunity."

"Oh, cool."

"Not really. Mitchum told me I wouldn't make a good journalist. I freaked out. I quit Yale. I went to a party with your dad, a party on his family's yacht, and Logan and I sort of borrowed one of them and sailed away for the night."

"You and Dad stole a yacht?"

"Yea, can you believe it? We did. I mean, we were going to return it, and we did, but we got caught. So there I was twenty years old, living with my grandparents who my mother despised, not going to college and doing community service."

"Wow."

"I think what my mom hated most was that I moved in with my grandparents. They always sort of fought over me, Mom and Grandma anyway, about the way I should be raised. So grandma I guess won in the end. I'm a housewife with nothing in my life but my husband and daughter, who I love, and the DAR. I'm Emily. That was the last thing my mother wanted to happen to me, and I'd be willing to bet she's still upset about it."

"Wow."

"Yea."

They sat in silence for awhile. Then Emma said, "I wish I'd talked to Lane more."

"What?" Rory heard Emma, but was sort of lost in her own thoughts.

"I said I wish I'd talked to Lane more. She's been with Lorelai more recently than you have, she could tell me what's going on with her now."

"Oh, yea. Well you'll find that out today, huh?"

"Yea, I guess. You sure you won't come in the house with me?"

"See, Emma, if I thought you wanted me to go in with you because you were afraid or uncomfortable going in by yourself, I definitely would. But that's not you. The only reason you want me to go in with you is that you want Mom and I to talk, to see each other again, and to make up. Sorry, Emma. That's not going to happen. Our relationship is too far gone. We're both way too stubborn and now set in our own ways. It's not going to happen, and I'm not going in with you."

"If you really wanted to, you could make up with her."

There was silence from Rory. She knew it was true, but wasn't about to say it. She wanted to, but wasn't going to be the one to apologize.

"Fine," Emma said. But what are you going to do? Drive back to Hartford and come back to pick me up again? It's twenty minutes each way."

"I might. I might just explore my old town for awhile. Go visit some of the people I haven't seen in years. Stop at Luke's and get a cup of coffee."

"That's another thing. Will Luke be there? How many people are going to be at this dinner? I don't even know. What kind of food will there be? Can she cook, or will I have to stop for a fast food on the way home?"

"I don't know who will be there. I didn't talk to her, remember? I doubt Lane even asked. Most likely it will just be Lorelai, she'll probably want to meet you for the first time herself. Luke might come in later or something. I really don't know though, it could go different ways. As for the food, definitely don't worry about it. I can guarantee you Lorelai didn't cook whatever you're having. Either you'll get takeout or she will have had Sookie make some great dinner for you."

"Ok. What should I call her? Grandma? Lorelai? It all seems weird."

"Uh, I don't know. I'm not sure she'd like being called Grandma. You can ask her, you'd do that and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't mind that you asked. Or just pick one and see what she says. Okay, here we are. Star's Hollow. Don't blink."

"Wow, this is cool! I always thought about living in a tiny town like this. I always thought it would be neat to grow up in a town where everyone knows pretty much everyone else. Don't you think so?"

"Yes, it was."

"Oh. I forgot, you did grow up here. Did you like it?"

"I loved it," Rory said smiling a little. "There's Luke's Diner."

"Cool."

"Okay, we're here. You ready?" Rory asked Emma.

"Yea."

"Good. Nervous?"

"Not really, I already told you, no big deal," Emma said, though now she wasn't so sure of it herself.

"Okay. I'll take your word for it. Wow, you are so much better at this stuff than I ever was."

"Well, that's just me I guess. Let me guess, you don't know where I get that from either, right?

"No. I know where you get it from," Rory said, her voice getting suddenly quieter.

"What? Where? Who, I guess?"

"You remind me a lot of your grandmother."

"Wow."

"Yea. Okay, you should go. It's almost seven. And if she gives you a chance, I'm sure she'll love you."

"Okay, thanks. Bye, mom," Emma said, hugging Rory before she got out of the car.

"Bye hon. Call me when you're done, I'll be around."

"Okay, see ya." Emma got out of the car and walked up the sidewalk toward Lorelai's house.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Emma rang the doorbell and waited. A few seconds seemed to take hours. _Oh, just answer the door,_ Emma found herself thinking impatiently. Then she heard footsteps. The door opened. "Hi," Emma was greeted by a pretty woman with long brown curly hair and blue eyes. She couldn't help being surprised. This was her grandmother. Emma had never imagined she'd be so… pretty. Grandmothers were supposed to be old and wrinkled, this woman was clearly neither. "You must be Emma," the woman said.

"Yea, that's me. I guess that would make you my grandma."

"Yea, I guess it would. Come in," she said, motioning for Emma to come inside. "Uh, here, sit down," she indicated that Emma should sit on the couch. Emma did, and the woman sat down beside her.

"Thanks," Emma said. She was sitting uncomfortably on the couch. She was at a loss for words, which was very unusual for her.

They sat in silence for a minute. Then Lorelai said, "This is stupid. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Emma relaxed a little and let out a stream of air. "Yea, we do," she said. "This is weird though. Most kids have known their grandparents since they were born. I haven't really ever spent any time with any of mine."

"So you're not real close to Logan's parents either?" Emma's grandma asked. She sounded interested.

"Oh, no, not really. I think I've met them twice or something. They send me money at Christmas and sometimes on my birthday, but that's about it. I don't think Mom and Dad get along with them very well. I think something happened between them," Emma said.

"Oh," the woman said, sounding a little pleased. "Uh, sorry I never sent, uh, money or anything."

"Oh, no problem," Emma said, smiling and almost laughing a little. "Hey, listen, this might sound like a weird question, but it's sort of a weird situation, so it fits."

"Oh, yea. Shoot."

"Uh, what should I call you? I asked Mom and she wasn't sure either. Grandma?"

"Uh, no, I'm not sure I like that, it makes me feel too old."

"Mom said you might not like it."

"Yea, well I guess she was right about that, anyway. Um, would it be too weird for you to just call me Lorelai?"

"I can get over it," Emma said smiling.

"Cool. Yea, that works," Lorelai said, looking a little relieved. "So, uh, how is your mom?"

"Oh, she's good," Emma said casually. She considered including a sweet "I think she misses you, though," but she wasn't sure how it would be received. Plus, she had only just met the woman about five minutes ago.

"Okay, that's good," said Lorelai, but she sounded as if she weren't sure whether she meant it or not.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes. Neither one of them liked it. They both could tell that the other wasn't happy with the silence either, but neither one of them knew how to break it. Emma decided to go for the obvious. "This is weird. You're my grandma and I don't know what to say to you. That's not usually a problem for me, either."

"I know, it is weird. Um, you hungry? We could eat. Maybe that'll help the conversation. I can't cook, you really don't want me to, trust me, but there are some pretty good take out places around here. What do you like? Chinese? Indian? Pizza?"

"I pretty much like everything," Emma said. "I'll eat whatever."

"I know. It's international cuisine night at Al's. They have food from all these different countries in random bags. You never actually know what kind of food you're going to get. It can either be really good, or really disgusting. It's a little scary, but actually really fun," Lorelai said, smiling genuinely. "Wanna get a few bags?"

"That does sound fun," Emma said, laughing. "Let's do it. But what do we do if it is disgusting?"

"Call Luke to save us," Lorelai said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ah. Yea, that'll work."

"Cool, I'll call," said Lorelai as she picked up the phone. "Hi Al, it's Lorelai. Give me, uh, what, four bags, Emma?"

"How big are they?" Emma asked.

"They're each supposed to serve one."

"Well, then two, right? There're only two of us."

"You know what Al, make it five. Yea, that's all. Thanks."

Emma was slightly amused. "What are we gonna do with all that food?" She asked.

"Well, we'll eat the few things that are edible, throw away most of the stuff that isn't, and if there's anything left over, I'll eat it tomorrow."  
"Well, okay then," said Emma, laughing again. "I love how you can call a place called Al's and order from a guy whose name is actually Al. And he knows you by name! That's just so cool."

"Geez, you are easily fascinated," said Lorelai with a little almost laugh.

"Well, I always thought it would be cool to live in a small town like this. I live in Hartford, it's not exactly similar."

"Do you, uh," said Lorelai, she seemed to be gathering her strength. Emma wondered what she was going to ask. "See my parents much? Your great grandparents, I guess?"

"Oh, geez. Uh, yea, sometimes. More than I see you or Dad's parents. You know, Mom and Great Grandma are pretty close. She lived with them for awhile, didn't she?"

"Oh, yea. She did."

"I mean, it's kind of weird. I know my great grandparents, but I barely know my actual grandparents. I've never even called you guys Grandma or Grandpa or anything. It was always just "Mom's parents" or "Dad's parents."

"Well, we'll see what we can do about that. So, uh, how much has Rory, I mean your mom, told you? About her, uh, life. About me, I guess."

"Oh, some. We actually talk a lot. I'm pretty good at getting things out of people. I don't actually think Mom likes it sometimes," Emma said with a small laugh. "But we are pretty close."

"Do you do stuff together? Like, go to concerts and movies and stuff?"

"Not a whole lot. I've never been to a concert. We watch movies at home sometimes. We're both busy though, you know? I have school, she has, well, I guess me and Dad and the DAR," Emma said, thinking about what her mom had said to her earlier. Watching Lorelai's expression she wasn't sure she should have said it. She finished, "And just housewife stuff, you know?"

Lorelai had a strange expression on her face. Emma was usually good at reading people, but she couldn't tell what this expression said. It was like she was expecting Emma to say what she had, but at the same time, she wasn't. Maybe she wasn't expecting this inevitable news about Rory at that particular moment, or maybe she was hoping it would never come. Emma didn't know. As long as Emma could have gone on trying to describe this particular expression, it only lasted a second. Then Lorelai seemed to get herself together, and she replied, "Oh, yea. I get it."

Emma was pretty sure she was lying. She knew Lorelai got what she was saying, but she knew Lorelai didn't get why Rory had chosen this path. Quite honestly, after the information she had learned today, Emma didn't either. There was another period of silence, and Emma was afraid it would last a long time, but it hadn't been silent for thirty seconds when the doorbell rang.

Lorelai stalled for a minute, lost in her own thoughts. Emma brought her back. "That'd be our food, right?" she said. She hadn't really meant to phrase it as a question, it just sort of happened.

"Oh, yea. I'll be right back," Lorelai said as she went to answer the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Wow, I'm not sure I've tasted anything quite that disgusting in my entire life," Emma said, cracking up, after she painstakingly swallowed a big bite of some foreign food.

"That's why you take small bites until you know what you're eating," said Lorelai, also laughing. "This isn't too bad," she said reasonably as she took a bite of some other strange food.

"I have never seen anything that looks quite like anything we have in front of us. And I'm not even going to ask why the napkins say 'Al's Pancake World' on them. I'm sure I don't want to know," Emma said.

"That's the name of the restaurant," Lorelai said.

"No, see, that's not the problem. The problem is that nothing in front of us is even a little bit similar to a pancake."

"This sort of looks like a pancake," Lorelai pointed out.

Emma grabbed it and tasted it, starting with a tiny bite this time. She made a face. "It _really_ doesn't taste like one."

"Al was going to serve pancakes, but he switched to international cuisine at the last minute. He had already printed up a lot of stuff that said 'Al's Pancake World,' so he didn't bother to change the name.

"Well, I guess that explains it."

Lorelai continued to eat whatever it was that she had said wasn't too bad.

"Okay, let me try some of that," Emma said. She took a bite. "Hmm, well it's not wonderful, but it's probably the best thing I've tasted."

They continued to eat little bits of things like that, and then Lorelai said, "I think we've officially eaten everything that won't either kill us or try to. You still hungry?"

"A little. You?"

"Sort of. Want to talk a little more just the two of us, and then call Luke to bring dessert?"

"Sure, that sounds good." They went back into the living room and sat on the couch. Emma started the conversation this time. She had always wondered about something, but she was never able to get a good answer. She asked Rory once when she was younger, but Rory had just given her a vague answer and changed the subject. She was pretty sure Lorelai would be the person to ask. "Lorelai, can I ask you something?" was how she chose to start the conversation.

"Sure, whatever. Go ahead."

"Okay, so I've finally met you, my grandmother on my mom's side. I've met my grandparents on my dad's side, and trust me, I like you a lot better," she said, smiling. Lorelai was smiling too, but it was a nervous smile, like she had an idea of what Emma's question was going to be, and she didn't like it. "I'm going to meet Luke, my step grandfather I guess, at some point tonight. But that leaves one person I've never heard anything about." Lorelai definitely knew what the question was going to be now, and she didn't look particularly happy. Emma had to ask, though. "My real grandfather."

"Oh, boy. Well, what do you want to know?"

"What do you want to tell me?"

Lorelai paused for a second, and made no reply.

"That's kind of what I thought," Emma said with a trace of a smile. "Well, basic stuff first I guess, trust me, I'll guide you through. I'm good at that."

"Okay, his name is Christopher Hayden. I didn't take his last name because I never married him. You know I got pregnant at sixteen, right?" Lorelai asked, looking a little nervous.

"Yea, Mom told me that."

"Okay, good," said Lorelai, looking relieved. "Well, that was Christopher. We were both sixteen, we got a hold of some booze, and there I was."

"Yea, but what happened to him? Did he just run away or something? When he found out, maybe? You have to give me more information, otherwise I'll fill in the blanks myself."

"No, he was around. We didn't talk to him a lot for awhile, Rory and I. He was sort of a loser. Then he seemed to turn himself around. I actually almost married him. Then he found out his girlfriend was pregnant."

"Wait, he had a girlfriend? What, did he cheat on her with you?"

"No, not really. They were sort of drifting apart. They almost broke up, they did, I think. Then she got pregnant, and he married her."

"Geez. Then what, did you like shun him out then?"

"No, actually we didn't. We did for awhile, but then she left him, and his dad died. We felt bad, and Rory and I took turns going to comfort him. Rory brought cookies and milk, I brought tequila. Long story short, some combination of him and my mother broke Luke and me up."

"Wow, but you're married now though, so it couldn't have been too bad."

"Well, we got back together. That was when we were dating. After that, I never talked to him. I don't know if your mom has or not."

"I'd bet she hasn't. I tried to ask her about him once, she changed the subject."

"Huh," Lorelai said. "Wonder why?"

Emma had been wanting to say something to this effect all night, and she figured now was a perfect opportunity. "I'll bet I know." Without waiting for Lorelai to respond, she kept right on going. "Mom hasn't exactly got along well with you in years, but she still didn't contact him. She could have, she didn't need to shun him for your benefit. But at least in the back of her mind, she's still loyal to you. If she forgot that and called him, it would be too final. I think she's almost in denial that the two of you aren't close anymore." It wasn't necessary, but Emma added, "She wants you back. She wants the two of you to be friends again. I know she does."

Lorelai considered this for a minute. "You might be right, but if she wants that so bad, why doesn't she at least try to apologize?"

"Well, you want it too, don't you? Why don't you apologize?"

Lorelai looked a little hurt for a moment. "You've heard what happened, haven't you? I don't think I did anything wrong."

"Right, I don't either. Mom might think you did, though. I'm not sure. She's stubborn though, you know that, right? Apparently I inherited that from her, and she says she got it from you."

"She's right. I'm definitely not going to be the one to apologize though. I wouldn't know what to apologize for."

"I can't say I blame you. I wish the two of you would make up, though."

"Don't get your hopes up. It's been too long."

"That's what Mom said. If you both want it bad enough, you should be able to make it happen, though."

"You know something, you are amazing. You should be a psychologist or something."

"I've considered it. I might," Emma said, smiling. At this point, she could tell Lorelai would like a change of subject. "How about pie now?" Emma asked. "Sounds good to me."

"Oh yea, me too," Lorelai said. "I'll call Luke." She left the room.

Lorelai dialed the number of Luke's diner. Luke picked up, "Luke's Diner," he said, sounding bored and a little annoyed.

"Hi Luke," she said in her sexiest voice. "This is Trixie, remember me? I'm back in town, and I was wondering if I could stop in later and pay you a visit. You're still single, aren't you?"

"Hi Lorelai," said Luke, sounding bored but slightly more amused than when he had picked up.

"Rats, you caught me," said Lorelai. "We need pie. Bring us pie."

"Who's 'we'?" Luke wanted to know.

"Oh, a have a stripper upstairs. He's hungry."

"Huh?"

"Luke, Emma's here. I told you that."

"Who's Emma?"

"Rory's daughter. Remember, we had dinner?"

"Oh, yea. Sorry, I had a busy day, I forgot about that. So what's she like?"

"She's actually really great. Come home and meet her. Bring pie," Lorelai said.

"Okay, I'll be over," Luke said. "But get the stripper out of here or I may have to get violent."

"Yea, okay. You sure I can't keep him around another couple days? Bill's really nice."

"Bye, Lorelai.

"Bye Luke," Lorelai said, using her sexy voice again.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"He's on his way," said Lorelai, walking back into the room. "Give him five minutes."

"Cool," said Emma.

"So, said Lorelai, sitting back down on the couch beside Emma but suddenly looking uncomfortable, "You know your mom and I had an agreement that you would come and meet me tonight. So that's it. You're done. You could leave now if you want. You don't have to stay here and eat pie and meet Luke."

"I want to, though. If you don't mind. I'd really like to meet my step-grandfather, and I love pie."

"Who doesn't?" Lorelai looked pleased.

"I don't know anyone. Tell me about Luke, though. I've never heard much about him. I know he owns a diner, and he's your husband, but that's about it. I like to know what I'm getting into before I get into it. What should I call him, Luke?"

"Luke's probably good. I think 'Grandpa' might freak him out more than 'Grandma' would me. Uh, he's not very much like me. He's not a real great people person. He sort of likes to keep to himself. So many people in this town thought he would never get married. Well, he did. But don't expect him to get into a lengthy discussion about anything. He's sort of monosyllabic. You know, one syllable at a time?"

"Okay," Emma said, laughing. "Doesn't sound much like you. I guess opposites attract, right?"

"Yea, I guess. I've known him since I moved here. He lived here all his life. It's been rumored that he's liked me since I moved here. I don't know. I guess it's possible."

"Huh. That's sort of romantic. I like it."

"Sure, Luke's romantic. Tell him that, I want to see what he says." Just then the door opened. "That would be him."

A man wearing a flannel shirt, a backwards baseball cap, and worn jeans walked in. What could be seen of his hair beneath his cap was brown. His face looked kind, but a little worn. He gave the impression of being older than Lorelai, but Emma wasn't sure if he was or not. "Hey," he said, nodding at Emma.

"Hi. You must be Luke," she said.

"Yep," said Luke. "You're Emma, right? Rory's daughter?"

"Yep, that's me."

"Got a pie."

"Yay!" said Lorelai. "Give us the pie, Luke! Coffee, too. I think I made some. Emma, do you like coffee?"

"I love coffee."

"Cool."

Luke cut the pie, poured the coffee and gave them each a piece and a cup. Luke took a small piece himself, although he didn't take any coffee. "Wow Luke, you're eating pie? That's weird. What happened, did the diner blow up or something? You didn't somehow change something and make it healthy, did you?"

"No, nothing blew up and I didn't change anything. Try it."

Lorelai tasted a piece of her pie. "Nope, nothing wrong with it. I give up."

"It's a special occasion, I thought I'd join in the celebration."

"Wow Emma, you're special. You got Luke to eat pie. I've never been able to do that."

"Cool," Emma said. She wasn't sure what else to say. She felt a little uncomfortable again.

Lorelai saved her. "So, you just turned sixteen, right Emma? You don't have your license yet then, do you?"

"No, I just got my permit though."

"So is your mom picking you up?"

"Yep."

"You just gonna call her when you want picked up?"

"Yep."

"I could take you home if you want. It might be easier than having your mom drive out here from Hartford again."

"I could ask her when I call, but I think she was going to hang around here. She didn't want to have to go all the way back to Hartford and then turn around and come back."

"Oh, so she might be around here somewhere? Did you see her, Luke?"

Emma felt bad for Luke for a moment. He looked like he didn't want to tell Lorelai what he was about to tell her, but the look on Lorelai's face told him he didn't have a choice. "Yes." He kept it simple. Emma liked this man so far. She envied him a little. She had never been able to keep her answers that simple.

Apparently Lorelai had the same problem. "You saw her? Was she at the diner? When?"

"Yes, she was at the diner. She stopped by about half an hour before you called. I poured her coffee. That's it."

"That's it? How can that be it? Did you talk to her? Did she have to order her coffee, or did you just pour it? Was it weird? You haven't talked to her in a long time, have you? It had to have been weird." Emma marveled at Lorelai's ability to come up with such a long string of questions from such a simple remark. She had always thought she was the only one who possessed such a talent.

The only reply Luke could give to all those questions came in the form of a play-by-play. "She came in. Sat down. I poured her coffee automatically. She asked how I was doing, I said 'Fine, how have you been?' she said fine. She ordered pie. I served her pie. She ate the pie. Kirk walked in. He said hi, she said 'Hi Kirk.' Kirk figured out who she was and was a little surprised. They talked a little. I don't remember their exact conversation. She was still in there talking to Babette when I left. She will probably be there for the next fifteen years if Babette has any say in the matter," he sounded a bit annoyed as he said this last bit. "No, I haven't talked to her recently. It was a little awkward, but we didn't talk a whole lot."

"Wow Luke, impressive," said Lorelai, beaming. "Somewhere between a monosyllable and a rant. I've trained you well. I think that was a little closer to a rant than a monosyllable, but still, pretty good."

Luke just rolled his eyes. Lorelai seemed to relax again. Emma guessed she had been satisfied with Luke's answer for whatever reason. They just talked easily about random if not slightly boring things they were able to think of. Emma continued to be astounded at Luke's monosyllabic talent. Luke wanted to go back to the diner to close up around nine o'clock. He left, and Emma and Lorelai were left alone once more. Lorelai immediately wanted to know, "So what did you think of Luke? Honestly, I won't tell him if you don't like him."

"I like him. He's not particularly outgoing, like you said, but I sort of like that. You ask him a question and don't get a ten page answer. That's totally beyond my ability. He seems really sweet, too."

"You are a real people person, aren't you Emma? I don't think I have ever met anybody who can take monosyllabic Luke and come up with exactly what is so great about his monosyllabicness." Emma knew that Lorelai realized monosyllabicness was probably not a word, but she just kept right on going. "I like that about him too, I've just never been able to put it into words like that."

"I guess I'm a good people person. I know I'm pretty good with words. Mom's always told me that." Emma realized by this point that bringing up her mother wasn't the safest conversation idea. To avoid another unpleasant moment, Emma made sure she kept right on talking. "It's getting late, though. I should probably think about leaving, I have school tomorrow."

"Right. That's right. Um, one more thing I think we need to talk about."

"No problem. What is it?"

"Well, do you want to get together again after this? Your mom and I only set up tonight, nothing else. We have to decide if we want to get together again."

"Well, I do. I mean, if you want to. I just met you. I mean, we hardly got a chance to catch up. I'd at least like to talk to you again, even if I can't see you. That okay?"

"That's more than okay," Lorelai said, getting up and walking toward the table where her phone was. She wrote something on a slip of paper and handed it to Emma. "This is my cell phone number. I almost always have it on, so you can call whenever you want."

"Wow, thanks. Oh, I can give you mine if you want. You already have my home number, but I'll give you my cell if you don't want to talk to Mom. I don't always have it on, but I try to check it every now and then. I'd check it more if I thought someone was going to bother calling me on it. Here," she wrote it down and handed it to Lorelai before she had the chance to reply.

"Okay, thanks."

"Uh, should we set up the next time we get together now, or just call later? If you even want to. Do you want to?"

"Yes I want to. You're my granddaughter, of course I want to see you again. We could just set it up now since we're both already here. When's good for you?"

"I'm good on weekends if we want to do anything more than dinner. Other than that I'm good for dinner whenever."

"What are you thinking time-wise? I mean, soon, not so soon?"

"The sooner the better sounds good to me."

"Me too. How about next weekend? Saturday? We could go see a movie or something."

"Sounds good to me. I have to ask Mom, you know, she has to drive me here. But other than that, I don't know why I couldn't come."

"If your mom has a problem with it, I could pick you up," said Lorelai. She still sounded a little bitter toward Rory. Emma couldn't help noticing that Lorelai kept calling her "your mom" instead of Rory. It was as if in Lorelai's mind they were two different people. She couldn't bear to call Emma's mom Rory, to connect her daughter, her old best friend, to the mother of her granddaughter, the woman she hadn't talked to in so many years. Emma understood this, but she wasn't sure Lorelai did.

"Okay, that's really nice," she said. "I think Mom will be fine with it, but I'll call and let you know."

"Sounds good to me. Do you want to call your mom?"

"Oh yea, thanks," Emma said as Lorelai handed her the phone. She dialed Rory's cell phone number.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Rory's cell phone rang. "Sorry Patty," she said to the woman she was talking to when she heard it ring. "I have to get this. It's probably my daughter." She dug in her purse for her phone. She pressed a button and held it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi Mom, it's me."

"Hi Emma. You done?"

"Yep, I'm done. You can come pick me up whenever."

"Okay, give me five minutes." Rory noticed Luke glaring at her from across the diner. "Oops, I gotta go. I forgot we're not supposed to have cell phones in here. I'll be there in a sec."

Rory hung up before Emma got to say "bye."

"Okay," Emma said aloud.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"Nothing, that was just weird. She hung up really fast. She just said she's not supposed to be talking on her cell phone wherever she is. Where would that be?"

"Oh, she's still at Luke's. Luke hates cell phones."

"Ah. That would explain that. She said she'd be here in five minutes."

"Okay. Want a piece of pie for the road?"

"Sure, why not. I'm not completely sure how to turn down pie."

"I don't know. I've never done it before," Lorelai said as she placed a piece of pie on a napkin. "I have, however, mastered the art of taking an entire piece of pie out of the whole pie without it breaking into pieces and getting all messy," she said, with the air of being very impressed with herself.

"Wow, impressive," Emma said with a small laugh. "You'll have to teach me that some time, I haven't figured that out yet.

"Sure, the master is always willing to share her skills with the less fortunate. Maybe next time."

"Sounds good." Emma heard a car horn. "Oh, that's probably Mom. I'll see you Saturday then, I guess? I'll call."

"Okay. Talk to you then."

Emma walked out the door and climbed into her mom's silver BMW. She noticed Lorelai watching her out the window. Looking back at her grandmother's face, she couldn't help but feel bad. Right before the car turned around, Emma could have sworn she saw a tear on Lorelai's cheek.

Rory pulled once again into a very familiar driveway. As familiar as it was, it felt weird. She beeped the horn before the car was totally stopped, hoping to minimize her time in this driveway as much as possible. Within a couple of minutes, her daughter appeared in the doorway. She was smiling, and she looked happy. Rory was relieved. It looked as if the dinner had gone well.

Rory watched Emma walk halfway to the car, then turn around to look at the house. In the instant that she was turned away, something happened. When Emma turned back around, her face was different. She was no longer smiling, her expression looked almost sad. Rory had never seen this expression on Emma before, it was a little strange. She got into the car, and Rory started to back up. She wasn't sure what to say, but she was sure Emma would handle it.

Rory glanced back over at Emma as the car was turning around, and she noticed her face had changed again. She went from the strange sad face that wasn't Emma to an even sadder, even less Emma face. Fortunately this face only lasted a fraction of a second. Her face suddenly became set, firm. Rory was reminded more of Paris then of Emma, but she had seen this expression on Emma before. This was not a welcome face to Rory at this particular moment. She didn't like when Emma got stern, it tended to get ugly. Rory purposely didn't say anything now, she didn't want to provoke her daughter right away. Unfortunately it wouldn't have mattered.

Emma wasted no time. She didn't bother to stop to think about what she was going to say, that wouldn't have been Emma. She said exactly what was on her mind. "What is wrong with you?" was the first thing that came out.

"What?" Rory asked, confused, annoyed, and a little hurt all at the same time.

"Oh, just make up with her already! You both want to, and you're the only one that has anything to apologize for. Just do it! Today! The two of you have waited long enough!"

Rory wasn't sure what to say. Her mind was racing, and so was her heart. She hadn't seen this coming. She didn't know why she hadn't seen this coming, but she definitely hadn't. Emma was staring at her, and she knew she had to say something. The thing was, she didn't have an argument. Emma was right, and Rory knew it. She couldn't tell Emma that though, she needed to think of something. Rory used to be good at coming up with things to say quickly, but her ability had faded from lack of practice. What came out was not what she would have chosen given time to think about it. "I can't, Emma."

Emma's reply was the exact reason Rory would have chosen a different response. "Why the hell can't you? Of course you can, just call her! We're not that far, want to do it in person? Turn the car around! Do it now! Just do it, get it done!"

"Okay, Emma," Rory began.

"Okay Emma? Really? Wow, that was easy. Cool, let's go."

"No, not that kind of 'okay Emma,' I wasn't done."

"Oh," Emma looked disappointed.

"Okay, just think of it this way. Imagine you are in a fight with someone. One of your friends, or me, or, I don't care, just pick someone. Now imagine it's about ten times worse than any fight you have ever been in before. Imagine that it's almost twenty years later, and you still haven't spoken to that person. Imagine trying to make up with the person you were fighting with. Emma, you have always been able to see things from different points of view, try to see this from mine."

"Okay, it won't be easy, I get that. You have to do it, though. You're not happy, I can tell you're not happy. Lorelai is really not happy. You hurt her, you know that, right? Not apologizing or even trying to make contact with her is only hurting her more. You're stubborn, but I know you aren't that mean."

"I know I hurt her, but she hurt me too."

"What did she do? It doesn't sound like she did anything."

"She got engaged."

"Well, she's allowed, isn't she?"

"No, she got engaged and she didn't tell me."

"Oh. You weren't talking though, were you?"

"Well, not really, but she could have told me. I found out from Luke."

"Well, didn't you used to be close to Luke? That's not a bad way to find out."

"I would rather have found out from her. She is my mother, and she was my best friend."

"I could see that. Haven't they been married for years though? That would have had to have been a long time ago."

"Almost twenty years ago."

"Wow. You said Lorelai could hold a grudge."

"I guess I inherited that from her, too."

"Yea, sounds like it."

"Well, she's still holding a grudge, why shouldn't I be?"

"Hmm let's see… Maybe because neither of you are six? Get over it! Sorry to be your reality check, but someone has to. Someone has to break it. I know you better, and you're here, and you were mostly at fault, so I think it should be you."

"It's not that easy."

"It could be that easy."

"Emma…"

"Don't 'Emma,' me. Just don't. I'm right, I know I am"

Once again, Rory knew it too. She had had enough, so she changed the subject. "So, how did it go anyway? Good?"

"Pretty good."

"I guess she wanted you to call her Lorelai?"

"Yea. I really like her, mom."

"I can tell. If you had hated her, you wouldn't want us to start talking again so badly."

"I'm going to see her again."

"Oh. Okay, I sort of figured you would."

"We exchanged cell phone numbers. We're going to call, but it looks like next Saturday. Would you take me over there again?"

"Oh. Yea, sure. No problem."

"Cool. That's good. Lorelai said she could pick me up if you're busy, but I'd rather you take me."

"No, that's fine. I can find the time to drive you over."

"Good."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Emma got home from school on Friday and went right upstairs to her room. There was something she kept forgetting to do, and she didn't want to forget again. "Where is it?" she muttered to herself, digging through her purse. "Here it is," she said, pulling out a small piece of paper. She grabbed the phone and dialed the number on the page.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Lorelai? It's Emma."

"Hi Emma!" Lorelai sounded pleased.

"I can definitely come tomorrow, Mom said she can take me. I kept forgetting to call you, sorry for the late notice."

"No problem."

"What time should I come?"

"Whenever you can, the sooner the better."

"How about eleven? That should give us time, right?"

"Actually, I have a meeting at the inn in the morning, it should be over around eleven thirty or twelve though, want to just go to the inn? You could meet Sookie, she'll be there. I'll tell here you're coming."

"Sounds good. That should be fun."

"Cool. I should probably warn you though, one of the guys that works at the inn, Michel, he's French, you'll recognize him, he's a little… well people have called him rude, although I'm not sure that's the best description."

"Okay. Sounds fun."

"I always thought so."

"So I guess I'll see you then."

"Sure. See ya then."

"Mom, come on! It's after 7:30, we have to go!" Emma shouted up the stairs. In one of those families on old movies, it would have been the mother yelling up the stairs for her daughter to come down. In Emma's house it had never been like that. Emma was always ready first, and she almost always had to rush her mom out the door. Rory came down the stairs all ready to go, but with a phone on her ear. "_Mom_, _come on!"_ Emma said, carefully articulating each word in order to clearly get her point across.

"Emma, I'm on the phone!" Rory mouthed.

"I noticed," Emma said in an annoyed voice. "We have to go," Emma said slowly, as if Rory wasn't grasping the concept.

Rory rolled her eyes at Emma. "No, that won't work," she said into the phone. "No, there has to be a cheese plate." Absolutely. No, no, yes. Yes, _thank you._" She clicked off the phone and set it down.

"Are you ready yet?" Emma asked.

"Yes, let's go. How many times have I told you not to bother me while I'm on the phone?"

"Why does it matter?" Emma said, walking towards the door. "It was just a stupid DAR call anyway."

"It matters, Emma. The person on the other end won't take me seriously if they hear my sixteen year old daughter pestering me in the background."

"Oh, that would be just terrible. God forbid Mom couldn't get her cheese plate."

Rory didn't comment. It was a lost cause at this point. "You want to drive?" She asked Emma as they approached the car.

"Really? Cool." Emma got in the car, and Rory got in the passenger side.

"Yea, why not? You're a good driver," Rory said, giving Emma the keys.

"Yea, but I've never driven this far before."

"First time for everything."

"Okay, let's go."

It wasn't until a little more than half way to Star's Hollow that Emma realized why Rory had wanted her to drive. Emma talked a lot less when she was behind the wheel. She was a new driver, and she needed to concentrate a lot more than Rory did. Emma could tell that Rory had had a "stressful" day, and she didn't feel like listening to another one of Emma's lectures on why she should make up with Lorelai. That had gotten to be the topic of the majority of Emma and Rory's conversations anymore. Emma knew her mom hated it, but she kept it going anyway. Part of her logic was that Rory might agree to apologize if she got tired enough of hearing Emma lecture her. Emma was still cloudy on how Rory could have a stressful day. All she did was make phone calls, annoy her maids, and go to the occasional meeting. She decided to let her mom off the hook for the ride anyway. Besides, she really did need to concentrate on driving.

Once they got to Star's Hollow, Emma wasn't sure how to get to the inn. She had never been there before. "Now what?" she asked.

"Oh, go left," Rory said, seemingly without thinking about it. Emma liked how automatic it was for Rory to get to the inn, even though she hadn't been there in so many years. "And next you're going to make a right on Third," she said.

Emma kept driving, but she never came across any street called Third. "Uh, Mom? Are you sure that's right? I haven't seen Third."

"Huh?" Rory said, seeming to come out of a daze. "Oh, geez you passed it. Turn around here."

"But there wasn't any street called Third, I was paying attention."

"I'm sure there was," Rory said. She looked around for a few minutes, then said, "That's weird. All these street names are different."

"Great, we're lost."

"No, no, I know exactly where we are, the names of the streets just changed. Must have been a Taylor thing. Oh my God," Rory said, laughing. "Turn."

Emma turned left, like Rory indicated. "What?" she asked.

"Did you see the name of this street? Sores and Boils Alley."

"Oh geez."

"Yea. I'm sure Lorelai was happy with that," Rory said sarcastically.

"Well, I could see why. Is this where the inn is?"

"Yea, there it is. The Dragonfly. Turn."

Emma turned into the parking lot and stopped the car in front of the entrance. "Okay, see ya later."

"Oh, bye," Rory said. "Call when you're done, okay?"

"Yea, talk to you then," Emma said, opening the car door.

"Bye, hon."

"Bye Mom," Emma said, closing the door. She walked up the sidewalk toward the inn. _Wow, this is pretty,_ she thought. She opened the door, and found the inside just as nice. A man with a French accent stood at the front desk talking to a customer. _That must be Michel, _Emma thought. She waited until the customer walked away.

"Can I help you?" Michel said, sounding annoyed.

"Oh yea, is Lorelai Gilmore here yet?"

"No she is not."

"Okay, uh, could you tell me where the kitchen is?"

"Who are you? We don't let people into the kitchen."

"I'm Lorelai's granddaughter, Emma Huntzburger. Lorelai told me to go to the kitchen if she wasn't here when I got here. She said Sookie would be expecting me."

"Oh, fine," said Michel, sounding annoyed, as if he had just lost a very dull game to a very young child. "It's that way," he said, pointing behind him. "The big room with the oven. It's not particularly hard to find."

Emma just smiled and walked away, the direction he had pointed. When she got in the kitchen, she found it pretty busy. She had expected a small kitchen with one person cooking in it, which wasn't at all what she found. People were rushing around all over the place, and she had no idea which one was Sookie. She hadn't actually heard much about the woman, only that she was Lorelai's best friend and a great chef. She went up to the woman who seemed to be commanding all the confusion, a big, but pretty lady with red hair. "Um, excuse me," she said, "I'm looking for Sookie St. James."

"Oh, are you Emma?" the woman asked.

Emma nodded, "Yea, that's me."

"Okay, cool," the woman said. "I'm Sookie. Hang out a second, it'll slow down."

She wasn't kidding. A few moments later they were the only ones in the room. Sookie was stirring something, and Emma went over to talk to her. "It really did slow down."

"Yea, pre lunch rush."

"Okay," Emma said.

"So, you're Emma."

"Yep."

"Wow," Sookie stopped stirring whatever it was she was stirring for a second and stared at her. "You look like Lorelai," she almost sighed out.

"Do I?" Emma considered this for a second. "I never really thought about it. I guess so."

"Yea, you do," Lorelai said. "When she was younger, especially."

"Huh. Okay, I never thought about that."

"So, how's your Mom?" Sookie asked.

"She's good."

"I haven't seen her in a long time. She used to be here a lot."

"Yea, well, you know. She and Lorelai aren't exactly on good terms."

"Right. Yea, I knew that," Emma wasn't sure if it was just her, but she thought Sookie sounded a little sad.

"They really should make up. They have been fighting for way too long," Emma decided to try Sookie. She could use another person on her side. "I had never even met Lorelai until last week."

"I know, she told me. And they should have made up a long time ago."

"I'm working on Mom. I'm running out of ideas though. Right now I'm just sort of trying to bother her about it until she decides to apologize to Lorelai."

"That's a nice idea. I don't know if it will work, though. You know, you're not the only one who's tried to get them back together."

"Really? Who else has?"

"Oh, geez. Who hasn't? I have, Lane has, Paris, Luke, I think even Patty and Babette tried at some point. Oh, do you even know any of them?"

"Well, I know you sort of, I've met Luke, Lane and Paris I know pretty well, the only people I don't know are Patty and Babette. I didn't know you guys all tried, though. I thought I was the only one. I didn't even know Paris knew Lorelai. I mean, I know they've met, Mom's known Paris for a pretty long time. And I knew Lane talked to both of them, but I have always thought she was just a messenger. I didn't think Luke seemed like the type to do something like that, either."

"Oh yea, I think Luke was the first one to want to do something. He was always pretty close to both of them, even before he and Lorelai went out."

"Huh. That's interesting."

"Yea. I think Lorelai wanted to show you Star's Hollow today, the grand tour, you know? So you'll probably get to meet Patty, Kirk, Taylor, all the Star's Hollow characters. Should be an experience for you," Sookie said with a laugh.

"I'm sure I'll love it. I've only seen a little bit of this town, but I love it."

"So does Lorelai. Actually we all do. It's nice, small though. We like it, but some people don't."

"I don't get how you could not like a town like this. It's great. It's small, but I like that. You actually know everyone. It's so neat."

"Yea, we like it."

"Anyway," Emma had made up her mind about something, and she was about to tell Sookie. "We all think Lorelai and my mom should make up, right? So we should all help them. Gang up on them sort of, you know? We could all annoy Mom until she apologizes. All of us has to work better than just me."

"Well," Sookie said, considering it. "It's not a bad idea. We need to work on both of them though, not just Rory."

"It was Mom's fault though, wasn't it? This whole fight, Lorelai never really did anything to Mom."

"Well, I guess," Sookie said. "But Rory's too stubborn to fix everything herself. It wouldn't work. It needs to come from both sides. They both have to want to do something, and we have to get them both to do it."

"Should we call Luke, Lane, and Paris? Maybe some other people from the town? It can't hurt, right?"

"We could. Why don't we just start with the two of us, though? You keep working on Rory, I'll work on Lorelai. I sort of doubt just annoying them to make up will work, though. Let's try to get them to meet for lunch or something. Then they can talk and everything, just the two of them."

"Sounds good. You're pretty good at this plotting stuff."

"You know who's really good? Lane. We can use her if this doesn't work."

"Sure. Okay, should we set a date for them, or make them do it? I don't know if they'd set one if we leave it up to them."

"We should just let them do it. We won't know when they're free."

"Okay. So we should just tell them to have lunch? Will that work?"

"I don't know. It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"Sure," Emma said. At that moment, Lorelai walked in.

"Hey, Emma! Ready to go?"

"Yea, I'm ready. Where are we going?"

"Well," said Lorelai, as if she was about to tell Emma something fantastic. "The last time you were here, you were like totally obsessed with this town. So I thought I'd show you around. Introduce you to everyone, you know? Then I figured we'd go see a movie, and then we'll see. How's that sound, good?"

"Great. Really great."

"Cool. Uh, let's go. Bye, Sookie."

"Bye girls. Have fun, Emma!"

"I'm sure I will."

"I'm sure you will too. Bye!"

"Bye Sookie!" Emma said, as they walked out the door.

"Looks like you two got along just fine," Lorelai said to Emma once they were out of the kitchen.

"Oh yea, she's really nice."

"I know, she's my best friend."

"Oh yea," is what Emma said, but she couldn't help thinking that there used to be someone else who held this title as well.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"So, how did you like the movie?" Lorelai asked Emma as they left the theatre.

"I loved it. I have honestly loved _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_ every time I have seen it since I was two. I hadn't seen it in years, though. Plus it was even more interesting with your commentary in the background." Emma said, smiling.

"Well, very few people really appreciate the depth of my commentary. I'm happy to have found someone who does."

"Oh yea, it's great. Where are we going now, back you your house?"

"Um, yea," Lorelai said, turning left.

"Your house is the other way."

"Quick detour," Lorelai said smiling.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"No, see, I don't do well not knowing where I'm going. I need to know what's coming."

"We'll fix that."

"I don't want to fix that! I want to know where we're going!"

"God, we're both lucky this is a small town. Otherwise you'd drive me insane!"

"What?"

"It's just around the corner."

They turned the bend and Emma gasped. Everything was decorated. Huge gold stars hung everywhere, and there were more people than Emma even knew lived in the town. A huge banner read "Annual Star's Hollow Founders Firelight Festival."

"Lorelai, what is this?" Emma said, happy but a little confused.

"The founders firelight festival," Lorelai said pointing to the sign. "It's a weird Star's Hollow thing. You seemed to like the town, so I figured you'd want to come to one of our traditional things. Bad idea?"

"No, I love it! It's so pretty!"

"I thought you'd like it, that's why I asked you to come today," Lorelai said as they neared the crowd.

A woman with short curly reddish brown hair walked up to them. "Emma! Lorelai, it was a great idea to bring her here. You like it Emma?"

"Hi Patty. Well, I just got here, but so far it looks cool. I love the decorations, they're so pretty!"

"Oh, you'll love it. I know your mom always did. And your grandma," Patty said, nodding toward Lorelai and smiling.

"Well, we're going to get started. Come on up toward the front girls."

Emma thought it was strange for someone to call her and her grandmother "girls." It was more something she would have expected someone to say to her and her best friend or her sister. She wondered if anyone ever said that to Lorelai and Rory. _Probably._ She also noticed that when she was with Lorelai, she had started to think of her mother as "Rory." She had never done that before.

Emma pried herself away from her thoughts for a moment. She just wanted to enjoy the festival. She looked up toward the gazebo? and recognized Miss Patty and Taylor. She was happy Lorelai had introduced her to these people before now.

"Okay people," Taylor said, trying to call attention. Getting no reaction, he tried again. "People, listen up." Emma found it funny how nobody listened to him. "People!" he said loudly, banging his gavel on the podium that was set up. He banged it again, harder, and the handle broke off.

Lorelai was smiling. "That's the third gavel this week," she whispered to Emma. Emma laughed. Taylor glared at the two of them.

"Everybody, listen up!" Patty said loudly. Instant silence. Emma laughed quietly. "Okay," Patty said. "We're going to start the festivities. First of all, we have a new participant this year. Some of you have met Emma, Lorelai's granddaughter." There were a few murmurs from the crowd. "It's her first firelight festival, but we hope it won't be her last." Some of the crowd cheered. "Emma, why don't you wave so people know who you are?"

"Okay," Emma said. She turned around to face most of the crowd, stood on her tiptoes and waved her arm a little.

"Great. Now for Emma, and anyone else experiencing their first festival, I'm going to tell the story." Emma listened intently as Miss Patty told the story of how Star's Hollow came to be. Emma was glad this was her first Star's Hollow town function, and she was sure it wouldn't be her last.

A man that Emma didn't recognize, but took to be the Mayor of Star's Hollow, was behind Miss Patty talking in undertones to Taylor. Neither of them looked happy. "Aren't they going to light the bonfire?" Emma asked Lorelai, indicating a pile of wood that she could only assume was going to be a bonfire.

"Eventually. Listen. This happens every year."

Emma strained to hear what Taylor and the Mayor were saying. She could just make out the words "forgot," "matches," and "idiot."

"An idiot forgot the matches?"

"They forget to bring matches every single year. It's a little difficult to get the fire started."

"I guess."

Eventually, the fire was lit. Emma talked some more with the people she had met earlier. She loved it. Luke showed up a little later. It was all so nice. Emma couldn't figure out why Rory had given it up. _Maybe for Dad? _She wasn't sure, but she somehow doubted it.

Emma was in the classroom dedicated to her school's paper after school. The room was full of people, but she was in the back of the classroom going through old issues of the paper, calledthe _Franklin_. She was supposed to write an article on the history of the paper for an upcoming issue, and she was researching. It wasn't like she was actually leafing through old papers; every issue was cataloged on the computer. While she was scrolling through, one issue caught her eye.

The paper was from almost twenty five years ago. On the back page was a photo of the newspaper staff from that year. Two pretty, young girls stood in the front. The one on the right was much taller than the other, but Emma could swear they looked familiar. There were names under the photo. Sure enough, Emma did know them. "Oh God," she said under her breath as she read the names. _Paris Gellar and Rory Gilmore. _There was no doubt that they were the people Emma thought. The one on the right really did look like a much younger version of her mother.

Emma hadn't even known she'd gone to Chilton. She knew Paris and Rory had gone to school together, but she hadn't known they'd gone to her school. Almost without thinking, Emma minimized the _Franklin_ database and opened up a new program, the yearbook archive. She found the yearbook for the same year the issue would have been printed. It was the year Paris and Rory would have graduated. She looked at their pictures. Under her mother's picture was a word that was shocking to Emma. _Valedictorian_.

She had been valedictorian? Emma had no idea. Her mother had been smart. Really smart. It actually took some talent to be valedictorian at a prestigious school like Chilton. It had always been Emma's dream. Emma knew she had gotten into Yale, Harvard, and Princeton, but she figured it had mostly been from the influence of her grandparents. She was wrong. Rory was smart.

She hid it well now. All that intelligence didn't just go away. It was still there, Rory was just afraid to use it. The thought had been going through Emma's head since the day she met Lorelai, but now it was stronger than ever. _She could have done more._ She really could have. She could have been more than a housewife. Emma truly realized why Lorelai was upset with Rory.

Emma truly realized for the first time that her mother must have been a lot different when she was younger. _She was like me. _The thought had never occurred to Emma before. She had always seen her mother as the total opposite of herself. They got along alright, but they had nothing in common. She had never realized how untrue this was. The reason she had chosen the path she did was as unclear to Emma as ever.

She needed more information, but she didn't know where to find it. It was like a newspaper article that she couldn't research. She would have to get her information from another source, besides books and articles. She would have to get it from people. But who could she ask? She needed an honest idea as to what Rory had been like. She couldn't ask her mother, people are very poor authorities on themselves. She didn't want to ask Lorelai, although she would be ideal, too much had happened between them. Lane or Paris would be ideal.

Paris was the more honest of the two, and she knew Emma less personally. They had met five or six times, but hadn't talked much about anything. Paris had known Rory in high school and college, and had been a close friend when things in Rory's live had begun to go wrong. Emma would have to call Paris. The difficult thing was that she had to do it without letting her mother know.

When Emma got home she was relieved to see that her mother wasn't there. Their maid, Sophia, informed Emma that she was at a DAR function. Sophia had been working for Rory since before Emma was born. Emma liked having her around, she was nice. It was something she could always count on; if Rory wasn't home, Sophia would be.

Emma knew where Rory kept her address book. She looked up Paris's number. Although Paris was married now, the number was under her maiden name, Gellar. Rory hadn't changed her address book since Paris got married.

As soon as she found the number, she copied it onto a post-it from the telephone table and took it up to her room. She set down her backpack, picked up her phone, and dialed the number before she could change her mind.

"Hello?"

"Hi, may I please speak to Paris?" said Emma automatically.

"This is she."

"Oh, hi. It's Emma Huntzburger, Rory's daughter? I've met you a few times."

"I know who you are. Why are you calling?"

"Okay, I would like to talk to you about my mom."

"Okay," said Paris, sounding slightly interested. "What about her?"

"I need to know what she was like when she was younger. I need it honestly."

"Okay. What do you know?"

"I just found out she went to Chilton. She graduated as class valedictorian. She got accepted into Harvard, Princeton and Yale. She went to Yale, but dropped out. Give me the rest. She had to be smart, but was she nice? Was she a jerk, or a slut, was she on time a lot? She was on the _Franklin,_ were her stories any good?"

"She was an excellent writer, and student. She was my only real competition in school. She was really sweet. It was disgusting. Everybody loved her. I only know of two boyfriends she had before Logan. The first was Dean. He was a real prince charming. He was as sweet as she was, I wanted to put the two of them out of their misery."

Emma smiled, laughing silently to herself. She really liked Paris, she was funny, particularly when she didn't mean to be.

"The second was Jess. He was a lot different from Dean. He had the whole "bad boy" image. He had good taste in books though, and he was actually smart. He just didn't want to be."

"So she went for the "bad" guys. Wasn't my dad like that in college?"

"Oh yea. Have you heard the yacht story?"

"Yea, I've heard it. That started the fight between her and Lorelai, right?"

"Yes it did. Have you met Lorelai?"

"Yea, about two weeks ago. She's great."

"She's a decent person. Need any more information?"

"One more thing, just out of curiosity."

"Shoot."

"Was she usually on time or late? Oh, and how old was she when she had her first boyfriend?"

"That's more than one thing."

"Sorry. Answer them anyway?"

"Yea. She was always on time. We were similar in that area. We both hated to be late. And I think she was sixteen when she met Dean."

"The on time thing's different now. I always have to yell at her to hurry up and finish whatever she's doing so we can leave."

"That's weird. That's not Rory, either. Maybe the thing with Lorelai threw her off. That can happen, you know."

"Yea. That's probably what happened."

"Okay, is that it?"

"Yep. I have my information."

"Good. Feel free to call if you need any more."

"I will. Thanks."

A lot more of the Rory mystery had been unraveled for Emma. She had just remembered something about her own childhood. When Emma had been five or six, she always wanted to do things with Rory. She wanted to be just like her mother. Emma remembered how Rory would never let her go to any DAR meetings and functions with her. Now she couldn't figure out why she had wanted to, but it had appealed to her then. As a six- or seven-year old, Emma had always dreamed of a coming out party, like the pictures she had seen of Rory. Rory never let her get carried away with those dreams, and discouraged the idea altogether. Rory had always encouraged Emma to help Sophia with things like folding laundry or washing dishes. Emma had always been happy to help, but now she realized that most mothers wouldn't have encouraged it. Emma had wanted to go to a private school when she was younger, but Rory wouldn't let her start Chilton until ninth grade. Emma had always been happy about that, and she hadn't chosen to enter Chilton until tenth grade.

None of these things had ever seemed important to her before, but now it seemed like they could be significant. Rory had never wanted Emma to end up as a spoiled rich kid. She didn't want Emma to be a housewife like she was. Emma had never realized it, but Rory had been a very good mother.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Emma knew she had to talk to Rory, but she couldn't help thinking it wasn't going to work. She had to try to convince Rory to go have lunch with Lorelai. She knew Rory wouldn't agree. She didn't know why, but she knew Rory would have a million excuses, the first one being "It's been too long," and the classic "We're both too stubborn," fitting nicely into her argument somewhere.

_I wonder if Sookie's talked to Lorelai yet? _Emma thought. _I'll call her, and if she's had any luck, I'll try Rory. _Emma realized her thought sounded weird, even to her own mind. _I mean Mom._

Automatically, Emma walked over to the phone in her room. It wasn't until she picked it up and dialed the area code that she realized she didn't have Sookie's number. _Guess that won't work then. _She thought of calling Lorelai, but that would be way too obvious. They were going for subtle, weren't they? _This is ridiculous. I can't even talk to my partner in crime, _Emma thought._ Well, not crime, this is more _Parent Trap-_ish._

Emma suddenly had an idea. It might not work, but it was worth a try. Rory wasn't home, so Emma got her address book from the telephone table again. Emma looked under St. James, Sookie's maiden name.

_Great!_ Rory had the number. Emma wrote it down on a post-it and took it back up to her room. She dialed the number automatically.

A familiar female voice picked up. "Hello?"

"Hi, uh, Sookie?" Emma said, trying to make sure that was really who she was talking to.

"Hi," Sookie said sounding as if she didn't quite know who she was talking to, but it was all the confirmation Emma needed.

"It's Emma. I wanted to talk to you about our plan from before. Setting up Lorelai and Rory again?" Emma noticed herself referring to her mother by name again, but this was the first time she had said it out loud.

Sookie didn't notice, or at least didn't say anything about it. "Oh, yea. What about it?"

"Have you talked to Lorelai yet?"  
"Oh, no. I haven't had a chance, and after thinking about it I'm not so sure it will work anyway. Have you talked to Rory?" Sookie didn't even seem to realize Rory was Emma's mom, not consciously.

"No, I don't think it will work anyway. I'm out of ideas, though. What else could we do?"

"I don't know."

"Didn't you say something about Lane being good with stuff like this?"

"Yea, she is. Maybe we should call her."

"I'll do it, I started this whole thing."

"Okay, do you have her number?"

"I can get it. Mom has an address book with everyone's number she knows in it. Um, I guess I'll go do that then."

"Okay."

"Should I call when I'm done and let you know what she said?"

"Sure, if it's anything good."

"Okay, talk to you shortly then hopefully."

"Okay. Talk to you then."

Emma hung up and went to get Lane's number. A few minutes later she dialed the number she had written on another post-it.

"Hello?" said a voice that Emma knew well.

"Hi Lane, it's Emma."

"Oh, hi Emma! I haven't talked to you in awhile. What's up?"

"Well, I met Lorelai a couple weeks ago," said Emma, gradually getting to her point.

"Really? How'd that go?" said Lane, sounding interested, not as if she was just trying to make conversation.

"Great. Lorelai's great, I really like her. I wish I had met her sooner. What's up with her and Mom though? Everyone keeps telling me how close they used to be, but they haven't talked in what, twenty years? That's crazy!"

"Yes it is, I agree with that. They did used to be best friends. I think your mom was closer to Lorelai then she was to me."

"Really? I didn't know that, I thought you were her best friend."

"Well, I was. I was her best friend by the formal, usual 'This is my best friend, Lane' definition, but Lorelai and Rory had their own definition. They were closer than I thought it was possible for a mother and daughter to be. They were actually closer than I thought it was possible for two people to be."

"Really? I didn't realize. I knew they were really close, but I didn't know…" Emma trailed off. "I guess I didn't really understand how close they really were." Emma's voice was quieter than it had been, her mind was partially somewhere else.

"They had a really special kind of relationship. It sounds stupid, but they really did."

"Okay," said Emma, her voice gaining confidence again. "That's even more reason they have to get back together again," Emma said strongly.

"Well, yea, I know that, but it's been so long. I don't think it's going to happen."

"You sound like one of them! See, they won't do it on their own, they're too stubborn and yes, it has been too long for us to let them try to sort it out on their own. We have to help them! We have to somehow force them to make up. Again, they're both too stubborn, so we have to force them without them knowing we're doing it. We have to do something sneaky, I just don't know what! That's why I called you, Sookie told me you used to be really good at things like this." Emma said this not quite at a shout, but with such urgency and speed in her voice that it had the effect that it would have if she had shouted.

Lane heard this urgency and was amazed. As long as she'd known Emma, since she was born, she had never heard Emma be so passionate about anything. "Okay," said Lane, jumping right in. "What you want to do is get them alone together. It sounds like we're matchmaking, but we're really not," Lane said with a semi-childish giggle. "They need a chance to talk about things, anything, everything really, on their own. They need to do it without us there, without any distractions."

"I know that, Sookie and I had planned to get them to go out to lunch together. Lunch is good because it's less formal than dinner, they'd be more likely to agree to it. It won't quite work though, we won't be able to get them to go."

"Of course you won't, not if you tell them what they're doing ahead of time. Neither one of you has told one of them the plan, have you?"

"No, we both realized it wouldn't work before we had the chance."

"Good, that would make it more complicated. I can do complicated, but this is better. What we're going to do is trick them. We have Sookie helping, right?"

"Yes. She said we can get more if we need to, too. Luke, Paris, and people from Star's Hollow mostly."

"Good. Probably won't be necessary, but good. You get Rory to go out to lunch with you. Sookie will go to the same place with Lorelai. It has to be neutral ground, somewhere they'll both be comfortable."

"Luke's?"

"Would that be good for Rory? She used to like it, but it's in Lorelai's town. She might wonder if you said you wanted to go to Luke's with her for lunch."

"Yea, maybe. Where else is there though?"

"Fast food? It's easy and unassuming. What do they both like? Everything really. Burgers, tacos…"

"There's a good taco place about halfway between Star's Hollow and Hartford."

"Perfect. That'll work."

"How will we know when they're both free?"

"Stay in communication with Sookie. Try a date you think will work, and if it doesn't work for one of them, make up an excuse and change it. Try not to change it too many times or it will look suspicious."

"How do we leave them alone? We need to, but where do Sookie and I go?"

"That'll be tricky. You can't leave them completely alone of course, you need to be there in case things get ugly. We definitely can't give them the opportunity to make things any worse between the two of them."

"No," Emma hadn't thought of this. "So what do we do?"

"That's tough. They have to think they're alone, there will be other people around of course, but they can't know you and Sookie are watching. Well, you obviously want to make it seem like you weren't expecting to see each other there. You can go up to Lorelai and say hi or something. Get all four of you sitting at the same table. Then Sookie can go get everyone food, and you can go to the bathroom or something, or go to 'help Sookie carry the food.' They should get talking and forget about the two of you."

"Well, that's flattering."

"It'll work though. Of course, watch them, and make sure things stay civil. You can grab a table around the corner or behind a wall and listen to what they're saying."

"Sounds good. That should work. God, I hope that works. You are really good at this, Sookie was right."

"I've had practice."

"When?"

"When I was your age, hiding boyfriends and band members and CD's and makeup and pretty much everything else from my mother."

"Oh. That would do it."

"Yep. Call me and let me know how it went, okay?"

"Yea, I will. Thanks a lot."

"Talk to you then I guess. Hope it's good news!"

"Me too. Bye, Lane."

"Bye, Emma."

Emma hung up the phone. She had a strange adrenaline flowing through her, she was truly excited.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Later that evening, Emma was in her bedroom reading. As interested as she was in the novel, she was half listening for the door downstairs. She had just hung up with Sookie half an hour ago, and after telling her the plan, she couldn't wait to put it into action. They had agreed on the following Saturday for lunch. The thing was, in order to begin the whole thing, Rory had to come home from her DAR meeting. Emma couldn't help thinking that she had never known a DAR meeting to run this long, but she knew she was just anxious.

After what seemed like hours, but was only about fifteen minutes, Emma heard the door open. She knew she couldn't rush downstairs to immediately invite Rory to lunch, she would immediately be suspicious, and Emma didn't want that. It was almost seven, Emma would have to wait and bring it up at dinner. Her father was out of town, so it would work out well.

At seven o' clock, Emma went downstairs for dinner. Not surprisingly, her mother wasn't in the room yet. It wasn't until five after seven that Rory came in looking mildly stressed out. "What a meeting," she said aloud, although it was more to herself than to Emma. "Who in their right mind wants our next fundraiser to go toward better bathroom facilities in the Hartford DAR Headquarters? Apparently the entire DAR! We could be raising money to feed third world countries, but who cares about them when we don't even have heated toilet seats? The DAR Headquarters in Stanford has heated toilet seats."

Emma tried to pretend she was interested, but honestly found the whole DAR thing a little pointless. Her mother put so much time and energy into it, and usually ended up complaining about it anyway. Emma knew Rory would eventually swing at least half of the DAR to her side, and then plan some fabulous fundraiser to earn thousands of dollars for some random third world country.

"Honestly I'm getting a little tired of this DAR thing."

Rory had said this before, and Emma knew she didn't mean it. It was pretty much half of her life.

"Maybe I'll just quit and let them get their heated toilet seats. What do I care?"

Emma knew Rory wouldn't, she didn't need to try to comment. Instead she changed the subject.

"So Mom, want to go out to lunch on Saturday? There's that new taco place that looks pretty good, I thought maybe we could go check it out."

"You want to go to lunch with me?"

"Yea. Why not?"

"Well, I guess so. We haven't done that in awhile, have we? Saturday, no, I don't think I'm doing anything." Rory pulled her little electronic organizer from her purse. "No, I'm free. I'll add you in."

"Don't I feel special," said Emma, semi-sarcastically.

"Well, you should," Rory replied.

Emma waited until the following evening to call Sookie. She wanted to give Sookie another day in case she hadn't had the chance to talk to Lorelai yet. After dinner though, Emma went straight up to her room to call Sookie.

"Hello?" Sookie's voice answered.

"Hi Sookie, it's Emma."

"Hi, Emma!"

Emma didn't give Sookie a chance to say anything else. "Did you talk to Lorelai yet? Can she do it Saturday? Was she suspicious at all? Do we have to pick another date?"

"Whoa, Emma, slow down. I talked to her this morning. She said Saturday sounded good to her. And no, she wasn't suspicious, we've gone out to lunch before. I'm assuming that means you already talked to Rory?"

"Yes, I did. She can go. Let's aim for around one, okay? This is great, it's going to work!"

"I hope so."

"Me too, but it looks like it will, everything's working so far!"

"Wouldn't it be great if it did work? Your mom and Lorelai talking again, wow, that would be so great!"

"I know it would. It will happen eventually. If this doesn't work I'll try something else. I don't know what, but I probably won't have to worry about it. This is working so far, isn't it?"

"Yea, I guess it is."

"Well, I gotta go Sookie, I'll see you Saturday. One o' clock, right?"

"One o' clock."

"That's so great. See you then!"

"Bye, Emma," said Sookie with a chuckle.

Emma woke up at seven thirty on Saturday morning. She usually didn't wake up until at least nine or ten o'clock on weekends unless she had something to do. Her mother had always tried to convince Emma to get up earlier, saying she could get more done in the mornings. Emma usually didn't have much to do on Saturdays anyway, and what she did have to do was all she had to do all weekend anyway. Why get everything you have to do all weekend done on a Saturday morning? That didn't leave anything else to do the rest of the weekend.

Emma wondered if Rory had always liked getting up early. With everything Emma learned about "the old Rory," she became more and more aware of how much Rory had changed since she was Emma's age. From what Emma knew about "the old Rory" though, waking up early seemed like something she would have done.

The more Emma learned about this "old Rory," the more she found herself wishing she could meet her. _If all goes well today, maybe I can._ Just then, Emma realized that she wasn't just trying to reunite Rory and Lorelai. That was, of course, a big part of what she was doing, but that wasn't all she was trying to do. Without realizing it, Emma had been engaged in a type of rescue mission. In a way, Emma was trying to bring back the "old Rory" that had lately been so prominent in her thoughts. Subconsciously, Emma thought that maybe her mother would once again be the intellectual, punctual perfectionist she had heard so much about.

Emma lay in bed thinking about all this for about half an hour, and actually got up around eight. It was still early by her standards, but she knew at that point that she wasn't going back to sleep. She was hoping with all her heart that she would be successful that afternoon. _It will work,_ she kept telling herself. _I can do this._ Emma didn't want to think about what would happen if her plan didn't work.

As Emma got dressed, she paid special attention to what she was wearing and the way she looked. For some reason, Emma always felt luckier if she looked nice. Emma didn't usually try to look nice on the weekends, but today she did. Emma pulled on her favorite t-shirt, a soft blue color with a monkey riding a purple and green motorcycle on it, and a cute denim mini skirt with rhinestones on the pockets. This was very dressy by Emma's standards. She hardly ever wore a skirt, and she tended to gauge how dressed up she was by how much she liked the t-shirt she was wearing. She slid in a pair of sparkly green butterfly earrings, round silver bracelets with stars on them, a blue butterfly ring, and a long necklace with different colored stones on it. This was as dressed up as Emma had been since about Easter.

Emma went downstairs as ready as she had ever been. She looked at the clock and felt a pang of disappointment. It wasn't even nine o' clock yet. She wasn't hungry, but she ate a little breakfast anyway, mostly just to kill time. Rory wasn't at the table, she had probably started her day an hour and a half ago. With all of her adrenaline, Emma did all her homework for the weekend. By the time she was done it was still only eleven o' clock. _Why don't they give me more homework when I need it? _Emma wondered. It did seem that she always got a lot of homework when she had something else important to do, but this weekend when she was trying to kill time, she didn't have that much.

Rory walked in right after Emma had finished her homework. She looked busy, as usual. Just to make sure, Emma asked, "Hey Mom, we still on for lunch?" She was fairly sure of the answer, she just wanted to make sure that Rory remembered.

"Definitely," Rory said, smiling. "Looking forward to it." Then she hurried off toward the phone, mumbling something about the DAR.

After Rory left the room, Emma just shook her head. She knew it would be a long morning, and she couldn't wait for lunch.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

At long last, it was finally twelve thirty. They weren't meeting Lorelai and Sookie until one, but Emma figured it was better to aim early. "Mom, about ready?" Emma asked Rory.

Rory still had the phone glued to her ear. "One sec, Emma," she said, covering the receiver.

_Good thing I aimed early,_ Emma thought.

"Come on Mom, I'm hungry."

"Good. Yes. Fine. Okay, I'll let you go. Great. Thanks." Rory hang up the phone. "Okay, Emma. Let's go."

Emma was happy Rory didn't ask her to drive. She wouldn't have refused, it would have looked suspicious, but Emma was way too full of energy to drive well. She wouldn't have been able to concentrate like she liked to. Emma's heart seemed to skip a beat as the car pulled into the Taco Kingdom parking lot. _This is it,_ she thought. _Okay, here we go._

Emma's heart was beating furiously as they entered the restaurant. She tried to hide her nervousness from her mother, and it seemed to be working. She was trying not to talk unnecessarily, as she would probably end up saying something stupid. The plan was, however, folding out nicely. She noticed Sookie and Lorelai sitting at a table by the window as soon as they walked in.

Emma headed over to the table right away, without saying anything to Rory. Rory followed, not realizing where Emma was going. "Lorelai! Hey!" Emma said enthusiastically, managing to convince Lorelai, Rory and anyone else within earshot that she had not been expecting to see her there.

"Hi, Emma! What are you doing here?"

"Well, I heard they had good tacos, so Mom and I decided to check it out."

"Oh," said Lorelai, suddenly realizing Rory was behind Emma. She didn't try to talk to her daughter, but instead focused on Emma. "Me too, Sookie and I came by for lunch."

"Hi, Sookie," said Emma casually. "Have you guys eaten yet?"

"No, actually we just got here," said Sookie, stepping in right on cue.

"Oh, good. We should all sit together, that would be cool!"

"Oh yea, good idea!" said Sookie, maybe a little too enthusiastically. Fortunately, it didn't seem to be picked up by either of their two victims. "So, what does everyone want? I'll go order."

"Oh, that burrito looks pretty good," said Emma right away. She hoped it didn't sound too rehearsed and eager. "I think I'll have one of those and a Sprite."

Everyone proceeded to give Sookie their orders. Emma was pleased, so far her plan was going without a hitch. Lorelai and Rory hadn't so much as looked at each other yet, but that was almost to be expected. Emma knew that the sooner she and Sookie could leave Lorelai and Rory alone, the better.

Sookie went up to the counter to order. Fortunately there was a pretty long line, which would give Lorelai and Rory more time to talk. The three of them sat at the table in silence for a moment. Emma was debating whether she should try to start them talking about something or just leave them alone. If she was going to leave, she knew she had better do it soon before they both started talking to her. She decided that was the thing to do, since her mind was completely blank of good conversation starters. "I think I'll go keep Sookie company," she said. "It's a pretty long line, and she'll probably need help bringing everything back to the table." Nobody protested, Lorelai and Rory just nodded their heads as if in agreement.

Sure enough, as soon as Emma got in line with Sookie, Lorelai and Rory started talking a little. It started with Lorelai making some kind of comment, but eventually they were both laughing like old friends. "Sookie, look," Emma whispered, nudging Sookie's arm.

Sookie smiled widely. "Wow," she whispered. "What do you know, looks like it worked!"

Emma smiled excitedly and replied with a quiet "Yea." As great as Emma knew this was, something was buzzing in the back of her head. It was like an annoying voice that wouldn't go away. Emma didn't want to believe what the voice was saying, so she ignored it. However, the voice was stubborn and it wouldn't stop. _That was way too easy._

Rory couldn't believe it. She was sitting at a table in a fast food restaurant with her mother and daughter. She hadn't talked to her mother in years, let alone sat at a table with her. It was beyond weird. The three of them sat in total silence. _I shouldn't have let them meet,_ Rory kept thinking. _If they had never met, we wouldn't be here. Even if we were in the same building, we wouldn't be at the same table._ It seemed a little ridiculous, but Rory knew it was true.

Not surprisingly, Emma was the first to break the silence. "I think I'll go keep Sookie company," she said. Rory's mother's best friend was getting their food. "It's a pretty long line, and she'll probably need help bringing everything back to the table." Neither she nor Lorelai said a thing, but they both nodded their heads, and Emma left the table.

Lorelai spoke as soon as Emma was out of earshot. "I have to say, I'm impressed," Lorelai said with a twisted little smile.

"What?"

"Come on, what a set up! It was brilliantly planned out, your daughter's even smarter than you give her credit for."

"You think…" Rory broke off.

"Oh yea. They totally set us up. Sookie getting the food, Emma 'helping' her, it was a big plot. She just wanted to get us together, get us talking again.

"I never thought," Rory said. "I wouldn't have suspected it. Emma's so sweet, I wouldn't think she'd do something like that."

"Really?" said Lorelai, looking a little surprised.

"Well, maybe. All the hints she's been dropping and everything. She's wanted us to reconcile since she met you." Rory started laughing. "Wow, you know what, I can't believe I didn't realize it. Now that I think about it, I really should have realized."

Lorelai was laughing, too. "I really can't believe I didn't realize it. I knew she'd do something like this, I should have been expecting it. That was pretty clever, getting Sookie involved. That went right over both of our heads. I really should have expected that."

"So now what? Do we talk a little, humor them? Should we make them think we don't know what they're doing?"

"No," Lorelai said.

"No?"

"Definitely not. That will get too complicated. They're not just trying to make us talk, they're trying to make us best friends again. We can't fake all that, it'll get too complicated."

"Guess not. How do we tell Emma that we know, though? It'll break her heart."

"Oh, I'll do it I guess. She has to live with you, better that she doesn't totally hate you. Trust me, I know what that's like."

"Oh, like your life was so terrible," Rory said, immediately defensive. "It wasn't so bad. You had every opportunity, just like Emma does."

Lorelai had a much better comeback. Rory knew right away that she shouldn't have gone with her automatic response. "Oh, and you didn't? You had just as many opportunities as I did, you just didn't take advantage of them. We had a good relationship, it was great. You remember. You just messed it all up. And while you're telling me how great my childhood was, consider this. Did you not do everything in your power to make sure Emma's was different from mine? Did you not sent her to public school for a few years; discourage her from dreaming about a coming out party and the DAR? Didn't you make sure she wasn't spoiled, that she doesn't turn into a housewife like Emily and, gasp, you?"

Rory didn't reply. She just sat there for a moment, staring fixedly at the table in front of her.

"Oh. Okay. Maybe I don't know you as well as I think I do. Maybe you changed more than I thought." Lorelai looked surprised, and actually a little disappointed.

"No. I did. You know me better than I thought you did." Rory didn't take her eyes off of the table. It looked as if she was counting the speckles on the tabletop in front of her.

Lorelai smiled. She didn't say anything, she just smiled.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

When Sookie and Emma headed back toward the table with the food, Emma noticed that Lorelai and Rory were sitting in complete silence again. She shot Sookie a mildly confused and concerned look as they neared the table. Emma had to hold back a comment like "What happened? You two were getting along so well before!" It was on the tip of her tongue, but saying it would have made it obvious that they had been watching. Emma knew that neither Lorelai nor Rory would have liked to know they had been set up.

Emma and Sookie sat down, and the four of them began to eat in silence. Emma really wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. The silence gave her a chance to go through the whole situation in her mind. Lorelai and Rory had seemed to be getting along before, and now they were totally silent. They were stubborn, maybe they didn't want Emma and Sookie to know that they had gotten along for a moment. Maybe they were both so set in their ways that they wouldn't admit that they had almost reconciled. Maybe they had had another fight while Emma wasn't looking. Maybe they had just made things worse between the two of them. Emma had to know, but she couldn't ask. _How do I ask, how do I ask?_ she thought desperately. Maybe she'd just break the silence and see what would happen. She broke the silence the best way she knew how. "Okay, it's too quiet. Somebody break the silence." It was a little pathetic, but it worked every time.

Lorelai looked uncomfortable for a moment. It looked like she was going to say something, but she didn't quite want to say it. She finally seemed to gather her thoughts. "Emma," she said, almost as if it were a question.

When she didn't continue, Emma said, "Yea?"

"Um, okay," she said with a bit of a sigh. "Okay, Emma, we know you set us up."

It looked as if Lorelai hadn't wanted to say it, and Emma wished she hadn't with every fiber of her being. "Oh," she said quietly.

"It was a good plan," Lorelai said halfheartedly. "But you should have known it wouldn't work. You can't trick us into getting back together."

"Why not?"

Lorelai seemed at a loss for words, so Rory cut in. "I've told you a million times, Emma. It's been too long."

Lorelai and Rory both looked a little upset, but Emma seemed to reflect the feelings of both of them. She was trying to remain calm, but she could feel her eyes watering. Sookie looked as if she wasn't quite sure what had happened.

Emma sat there for a minute staring at her burrito and fighting back tears. After about five minutes, she gave up. She rooted around in her mom's purse for her car keys. She took her food, threw it in the trash, and headed for Rory's car. She unlocked the door, sat down in the passenger seat, and put the key in the ignition. She could have driven home just then, but she had no interest. The thought crossed her mind only for a second.

The only reason she had wanted the keys was for the radio. Emma loved music. She needed a background track sometimes, no matter whether her mood was good or bad. Now was one of those times. She turned on the radio, and left it on the station that her mom had been listening to. It was a station that played older music. Emma recognized the song; it was one that her mom had listened to a lot, especially when Emma was younger. She thought Rory had the CD, but she wasn't sure. The song was "I Try" by Macy Gray. Emma knew it had been popular long before she was born, but she liked it. Somehow it seemed the ideal background music for her situation.

Emma turned up the volume in the car so that she was surrounded in the music, but she knew it couldn't be heard outside of the car. She had always hated when you could hear the music from somebody's car when you weren't inside it. She reclined the passenger seat as far as it would go and closed her eyes. She completely gave up on holding everything back, and felt the tears stream down her face. Emma hoped that Rory wouldn't come right away, she just wanted to be alone for a moment.

The car ride home passed quickly, as if it were a dream. The next thing Emma knew, she was sitting on her bed in her room. She sat for awhile in a daze, not really realizing where she was or what had just happened. She didn't need music, the Macy Gray song was still playing in her head as clear as if it was on the radio. _I try to say goodbye and I choke. Try to walk away and I stumble. Though I try to hide it, it's clear. My world crumbles when you are not near._

The song helped to bring Emma back to the real world. It fit the situation absolutely perfectly. Lorelai and Rory were just like that. They weren't in each other's lives anymore, and both of their worlds had crumbled. They both tried to hide it, but to Emma and themselves, it was clear.

Emma now realized that she had to think about what she had been avoiding. She hadn't wanted to think about what would happen if her plan had failed, and it had. It was time to think about it. _I'm sure they both hated being set up like that. I hope they don't hate me._ That was a good portion of Emma's fears. She didn't know what she would do if her mother and grandmother both hated her. She knew they both had a talent for holding a grudge.

_I probably made it worse between the two of them._ Even as she thought it, Emma knew that this was an unreasonable fear. They hadn't talked it twenty years, it couldn't get much worse than that.

_Oh, what about Sookie, I almost forgot about her._ But even in her pessimistic frame of mind, Emma knew that nothing would change between her and Sookie, or between her and Lane or Paris. They had all been in it together. Emma just hoped that Lorelai and Rory wouldn't be angry with their friends for helping Emma. _No, I'll make sure that doesn't happen. _Actually, nobody had to know that Lane and Paris were even involved. Lorelai and Rory had known that Sookie was involved, of course, but Emma would make sure that Lorelai's relationship with Sookie wasn't damaged. She didn't know how she would do it, but she would.

Emma needed to do something, but she didn't know what. She looked around her room for inspiration. Her eyes rested on the purple phone on her desk. She had to call someone. She just didn't know who. She thought of calling Sookie, or even Lorelai, but it was too early. She couldn't do it. She thought back to when she was planning the whole mess, and realized who she had to call.

She picked up her phone and dialed a number off of one of the post-its she had stuffed into her desk drawer.

"Hello?" a very familiar voice said on the other end.

"Hi, Lane. It's Emma."

"Hi, Emma! Oh, did you do it yet? Are they talking again?"

Lane didn't need to elaborate, Emma knew exactly what she was talking about. "No. I mean, I did it. I set them up, I did everything exactly like you told me. It just didn't work."

"Really? What happened?"

"It just… I don't know, Lane. It was working perfectly. They were talking and laughing, it was great. Then Sookie and I got back to the table and it was completely silent. Then Lorelai told me they knew."

"Wow. I should have known it wouldn't work. Lorelai's pretty good at tricking people into things like that, I should have known that we couldn't pull one over on her. So, oh well. No big deal, right?"

"I hope not," Emma replied honestly. She could feel the tears stinging the corners of her eyes as she thought about the afternoon. She voiced to Lane her biggest concern. "I hope they don't hate me."

"They don't hate you. Why would they hate you?"

"They don't like to be tricked. I know they didn't like it. I could tell. I haven't talked to either of them since, but I'll bet they're upset with me."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be okay. They might not be thrilled at this moment, but they will get over it. Trust me."

"Okay."

"Hey, are you okay?" Lane asked. She must have heard the tears in Emma's voice.

"Yea, I'll be fine."

"Okay. Call me if you need to, okay?"

"Yea, I will. Bye, Lane."

"Bye, Emma.

Emma hung up the phone. She felt a little better, but not completely. She didn't know what to do. She thought that maybe she should try again, set something else up, but she didn't know how. The plan she had executed that afternoon was the best she had ever come up with, and it had failed. She knew she couldn't give up, that wasn't something she did much of. She just didn't know how to go about setting Lorelai and Rory up again.

_Maybe I should take a break,_ Emma thought. _Just for a few days. Besides, they might be expecting something else soon anyway. And I should definitely make sure that we're okay, Mom and I and Lorelai and I, before I go any further._

Emma needed to do that anyway. She needed to talk to Rory and to Lorelai. She needed to talk to Sookie, too. She had sort of rushed out on the whole thing. She had always hated it when people did that, even in movies. Now she had to fix it, she had to go back and face whatever it was she had rushed away from.

Emma replayed the scene in her mind, to get it fresh. When had she left? She couldn't remember. What was the last thing that was said? Rory's voice cut through Emma's memory like a knife. "It's been too long." Emma remembered the looks on the faces of both Lorelai and Rory. Then she had left.

Emma tried to zero in on Lorelai's and Rory's faces. It didn't work. Emma's memory didn't seem to work like that. She could sometimes rewind, and look at a scene or hear somebody saying something for a second time, but she couldn't zoom in and see a detail more clearly than she had the first time. She couldn't really read somebody's face in a memory, not like she could if they were standing in front of her.

Emma was beginning to hate the sound of those words. "It's been too long." She knew it hadn't. She knew Lorelai and Rory both knew it hadn't. That's what their faces had been saying. But if they knew that, why had they looked so sad after Rory's comment? Emma didn't know. She did know that she had to call Lorelai. She had planned on calling Sookie first, but she thought it would be better to call Lorelai. She picked up the phone and dialed Lorelai's number before she could talk herself out of it.

Lorelai answered the phone after one ring. "Hello?"

"Hi, Lorelai."

"Hi, Emma." Lorelai recognized Emma's voice right away. She didn't sound excited that she was calling, or unhappy about it. She almost sounded as if she had been expecting Emma to call.

Emma didn't quite know what to say. She didn't want to apologize for the set up, she wasn't sorry she did it. She really just wanted to make sure she and Lorelai were okay. Lorelai was waiting for her to say something, so she said nothing. "Um, about what happened earlier…"

"Yea, that was kind of a mess, wasn't it?"

"Yes it was." Emma decided she'd just come right out and ask. "You don't hate me, do you? I mean, you don't sound mad, but you never know about these things. Maybe you're not mad, but you're going to hold some major grudge against me without telling me about it. I don't want that to happen. And…"

Lorelai cut Emma off before she could get any further. "No, Emma. I don't hate you. I'm not mad at you, and I'm not going to hold a grudge against you, or do anything else you were going to say. You shouldn't have tried to set Rory and me up like that, but I understand why you did it."

"Really? Thanks."

"So have you talked to your mom yet?"

"No, just you."

"Okay. Hey, if you don't want to deal with your mom tonight, you could come over my house. We could order pizza or something, hang out a little."

"Oh, that sounds great, but I think I'll pass. I want to make sure she's okay with me and everything too. I really just want to hang here tonight."

"Okay. That's fine. If you ever want to though…"

"I will."

"Good. Okay. Well, we haven't got together in awhile. I mean, besides today, but that really doesn't count. Want to plan for next weekend?"

"Sounds great. I'll talk to you before then."

"Great."

"Okay, I have to go. I'll call later."

"Okay. Talk to you then."

"Bye." Emma hung up the phone and went to go talk to Rory. She found her mother downstairs in the living room. She wasn't on the phone, so Emma went to talk to her. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, Emma," Rory said, with the same tone of voice Lorelai had used when Emma called.

"About earlier…"

"It's fine, Emma. Just don't do it again, okay?"  
"I won't." Emma would have to be insane to try the same thing again. Her next plan would have to be different.

"Good." Rory sounded a little distracted, but it worked as far as Emma was concerned.

Emma knew she should just walk away, but as she was doing so, she added a little comment. "Oh, Mom?" she said, turning back before she got to the door.

"Yes?"

"It hasn't been too long." Before Rory could say anything, Emma walked away.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Emma pulled into Lorelai's driveway the following Saturday. "Bye hon, have a good time," Rory said from the passenger seat, getting out of the car to drive home.

"Bye, Mom. I'll call for a ride," Emma said, getting out and walking toward Lorelai's sidewalk. Emma rang the doorbell when she got to the door.

Lorelai appeared in the doorway. "Hi, Emma. You know, the door's usually unlocked, you don't have to ring the bell."

"Okay, I'll remember that for next time."

"Good. Okay, come on in. I have coffee."

"It's like twelve o' clock in the afternoon."

"It's five o' clock somewhere."

"Okay then. I guess I'll have some, why not?"

"I wasn't asking," Lorelai said, pouring herself and Emma each a cup.

"Great."

"Let's go sit in the living room."

"Fine with me." Emma and Lorelai went into the living room and sat side by side on the couch.

"Hmm… We're missing something. The last time we did this we had pie. We need pie."

"You're very random today."

"Yea, well, coffee. Sookie's freaking out already about the Christmas party we're hosting at the inn. She called me like twelve different times already today. I've had six cups already. One more makes lucky number seven."

"Good," Emma said in a strange, not quite sarcastic tone of voice.

"So you're awfully monosyllabic today. Been hanging around with Luke behind my back? I know he likes younger women, but geez! Hire a prostitute or something."

"Ew!"

"Yet another monosyllable. Seriously, you okay today?"

"Well, what else do you say to that?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, we got a full sentence out of her. And now for our next act, the lion that swallows fire."

"Nice?"

"Oops, the monosyllables are back. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm okay. Still a little freaked out from last week, I guess."

"I told you that's fine. Forgotten. How'd your mom take it?"

"You said forgotten."

"Well, what can I say, I was trying to hold up conversation."

"You're doing just fine with that."

"Come on Emma, tell me. Was it that bad?"

"No, it wasn't. She just kind of shook it off and said it was okay but that I shouldn't do it again. I'm not an idiot."

"I know you're not. So does your mom, by the way."

"I know. What did you guys talk about when I was with Sookie, anyway? You did look happy."

"Hey, I thought you were the one who wanted to change the subject," Lorelai said with a smug expression.

"What can I say, I was trying to hold up conversation," Emma said with exactly the same expression. Emma looked eerily like a younger version of Lorelai.

"Okay, you got me. Well, not much actually. I just told Rory how it was a set up, and we laughed a little about how we didn't see it earlier. That was it. Then we just basically sat in silence until you and Sookie got back with the food. As you know, then the real fun began."

"Oh yea, lots of fun. There should be a carnival ride dedicated to that whole conversation."

"Definitely, good idea."

"What did you mean 'basically'?"

"What?"

"Look who's doing the monosyllable thing now."

"What can I say, between you and Luke, it was bound to happen to me."

"You said 'basically' before. You said you 'basically' sat in silence until we got back."

"Well I think there was a crack about some fat bald guy, but other than that…"

"Who made the crack, you or Rory?" Emma cut in before Lorelai could finish.

"I think it was me." Emma looked as if she were about to ask another question, so Lorelai shot quickly, "Emma, stop trying to analyze it. It was just a crack, I think you're familiar with it." Seeing Emma's expression, Lorelai continued. "Sorry, that was mean. No, I just mean, you're like your mother." Lorelai watched Emma's expression again and continued, "That wasn't supposed to be mean, either. You might not be getting along so well with her right now, I guess we have that in common. But you have to believe me, she really did used to be a great kid. She was really smart, and she was always trying to analyze things and take them too far like you just were. Seriously Emma, just because I cracked a joke about a fat bald guy does not mean that I'm harboring some secret desire to make up with Rory."

"I know. I mean, I know about Rory. I know she went to Chilton, and was valedictorian of her class, and got accepted into Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. I know everybody loved her and she was always on time and she had a boyfriend at sixteen."

"How do you know all that?"

"Well, some of it she told me, some of it I found out on my own. I did a little research a couple weeks back."

"How did you research your mother?"

"Uh, old _Franklin _issues, Chilton yearbooks, and a short phone call to Paris Gellar."

"That would do it. I haven't talked to Paris in awhile, how's she doing?"

"She sounded pretty good. She's married now, did you know that?"

"Really?"

"Yea, Doyle something. I don't remember his last name."

"Oh, yea. I met him a couple times. Do they have any kids?"

"No," Emma said with a slight grimace at the thought.

"Good."

"Yea. You remember Paris pretty well then?

"How do you forget Paris?"

"Intense psychological therapy?"

"I'm sure a few have resorted to that."

"She's really nice though, once you get used to her."

"I know, she was an okay kid."

"Oh, and it's not secret."

"What?"

"Before. You said you weren't harboring a secret desire to make up with Rory."

"What's with you bringing random things I say up five minutes after I say them?"

"Just something I do. I need a minute to think over things."

"While we're talking about other things?"

"Sometimes. I'm just saying, I know you want to make up with her and be friends again. So does she. It's not so secret. I've said it before, and I have a feeling I'll say it again."

"I think we've both told you, it's more complicated than you think."

"I don't think it is."

Lorelai was silent for a moment, as if searching for a comeback. Not coming up with one, she said, "I don't know how you do it. You can get so much across in so few words. Luke should take lessons for you, see if he can avoid saying as much as he does."

"I'm not avoiding saying anything," Emma said with a smile. "If I don't need as many words to get my point across, I don't add extras like some people do."

"So it's what, more efficient?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Okay." Lorelai took a sip of her coffee. "So, on the few occasions that we have gotten together, we have had so much to catch up on that I totally forgot to ask you the one question that I should have asked first," Lorelai said with a dramatic pause. "The one question," she went on, as if she were a spastic game show host or something, "that is my duty to ask as your grandmother. I am caused so much shame by the sheer fact that I didn't ask you sooner."

Emma was amused, but a little annoyed. "Just ask already, will you?"

"Okay, okay. You can't rush these things. Here goes." Lorelai used her best old lady voice. "So Emma dear, is there a special someone in your life?"

"A 'special someone'?" Emma asked, half laughing.

"Give me a break," Lorelai said, also laughing. "I'm new at this grandma thing."

"Don't worry about the grandma thing, I'm fine with the Lorelai thing, trust me. Particularly the voice. Trash the voice. I have a feeling if you ever used the voice around Luke, or anyone else for that matter, you would be mocked for the rest of your life. You're pushing it with me here."

"Okay, okay. The voice goes. The question stands."

"Well if you meant, 'So Emma, do you have a boyfriend?' the answer is no."

"Really? I thought you would."

"Well, I don't."

"Why not? Guys must love you. You have the intense beauty, I mean you look so much like me you should have guys crawling all over you."

Emma just laughed.

"And you can certainly carry on a conversation. The occasional monosyllable might throw them off, but the conversational skills are definitely there."

"I don't really want a boyfriend. I'm sort of concentrating on school right now. I have the _Franklin_ and everything, and college coming up."

"Wow, you do sound like Rory. I could never understand that girl's priorities. She did have a boyfriend when she was going into Chilton, though."

"I heard. She's not exactly my role model though."

"You know she was different when she was your age."

"I know, still."

"I get it. You haven't really talked about your friends or anything much with me. Tell me about that."

"Well, my best friend Adriane goes to Hartford High School, I knew her before I started Chilton."

"You didn't start at a private school right away?"

"No, my mom didn't want me to. She made me wait until ninth grade, but I didn't end up starting Chilton until tenth. I was pretty happy at Hartford High with Adriane, but I wanted to start Chilton in tenth to make it easier to get into colleges."

"Have any friends at Chilton?"

"Well, you know, there are a few I talk to at school, but I don't really see any of them outside of school, except for projects and stuff like that."

"Yea, I remember Rory had to do a lot of those things. They still give you a lot of it?"

"Oh, yea."

"Enough said." Lorelai and Emma talked about random things until around dinner time. Then they ordered a pizza and made Luke bring home some pie. After Lorelai's eighth cup of coffee, Emma figured she should probably be going. "I'm going to call Mom for a ride now, okay?"

"Yea, okay."

Emma knew where Lorelai's phone was by now. She went over and dialed her home number. "Hello?" Sophia's voice answered.

"Hi Sophia, is Mom there?"

"Oh, hi Emma. No, your Mom's still at a DAR meeting. You might want to try her cell phone."

"Okay, is Dad there then?"

"Yes, he's here, do you want to talk to him?"

"Yes please."

"One moment, then."

"Hello?" Logan's voice answered a moment later.

"Hi Dad, it's Emma."

"Hi Emma. You still at Lorelai's?"

"Yea, Mom said to call her when I needed a ride, but she's still at her DAR meeting."

"Oh. Uh, I would pick you up," Emma could tell her father was making that weird face he always made when he didn't want to do something where he sort of smiled but his eyes got sort of squinty. "But I have this business thing I'm doing, conference call at nine."

"Oh. Okay, I guess I'll try Mom's cell."

"Good plan."

"Bye Dad."

"Bye Emma."

"Okay," Emma said under her breath as she dialed her Mom's cell phone number.

"Hello?" Rory answered, sounding stressed.

"Hi Mom, it's Emma."

"Hi Emma. I'm sorry, this meeting is running way over. We're still debating over the heated toilet seat issue. Looks like we might not get out of here until late and I have to lock the building tonight. The woman who normally does it is out of town, and they didn't trust the maintenance man. Can you get a ride from Lorelai?"

"Let me ask her."

"Okay, I really have to get back to the meeting, though. I had to go outside to take this call, and I'm afraid the all of the money's going to the toilet seats if I don't get back in there. Leave a message with Sophia to let me know what you're doing, okay? Either I'll call her if I get a chance or I'll find out when I get home."

"Okay. Bye Mom."

"Bye Emma."

"Oh, lovely," Emma said after she hung up.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"Mom's stuck in a DAR meeting and Dad's in a conference call. Mom hates it when Sophia picks me up, so it's looking like I don't have a ride."

"Who's Sophia?"

"Our maid. She's really nice, but Mom doesn't trust her driving, and she hates it when she leaves the house while she's working."

"Have you known her awhile?"

"Since I was born. She's been working for Mom a really long time."

"Ah, so she's not quite like Emily."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Okay, you realize I'll probably bring it up again in about five minutes."

"Yea, I figured that. So, I'd give you a ride, but my Jeep's not working. Luke's fixing it. Luke's truck is getting inspected now too, so we're temporarily car-less."

"Okay. Um, I guess I could take the bus home."

"No, your mom wouldn't want you taking the bus so late."

"Okay, what do you suggest?"

"Well, you could stay here for the night. You could stay in your mom's old room. The bed's still in there, so that would work pretty well. I actually don't think I have moved anything since your mom used to live here."

"That sounds good. Let me call Sophia."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Okay, Luke has early deliveries tomorrow, so he's probably just going to go to bed pretty early. He should be home pretty soon. We can stay up awhile longer though and talk, maybe rent a movie."

"Sounds good."

"Like the movie idea?"

"Yea, what should we rent?"

"There are so many good movies to choose from, you pick. What's your favorite movie?"

"That's hard. We saw _Willy Wonka_ last time, that's definitely up there. Have you seen the remake of that?" Emma asked.

"Yea, it's terrible."

"I totally agree. The original is much better."

"Definitely."

"Well, I like some of the older movies," Emma said.

"Who doesn't? _Casablanca_, _The Way We Were_…"

"Um, I didn't mean that much older."

"What did you mean then?" Lorelai looked confused.

"Older like a few years before I was born. Up to maybe ten years before."

"Oh, okay. There were a lot of movies made then."

"I like a lot of the blonde actress movies."

"Blonde actress?"

"Yea, you know, Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore, Nicole Kidman…"

"Got it. Never watched a lot of them."

"They're not as bad as they look. Some of them are really good. _Legally Blonde_, both the first one and the second, _Just Like Heaven_ is really good, _50 First Dates_, _Bewitched_. They're all really good."

"I saw the first _Legally Blonde_, it was pretty good. I haven't seen any of the other ones though. You have to watch one of my classics though. How about we rent _Legally Blonde, _both of them to refresh my memory, and _The Way We Were._"

"Works for me."

"Cool. Let's go do that now." Emma and Lorelai grabbed their coats and headed out the door.

"I keep forgetting how small this town is," said Emma. "We can walk to the video store. I could never walk to a video store in Hartford, they're all a few miles away and you'd need to walk across a few busy highways to get to one. I love it here!"

"You should really talk to Taylor. He could probably get you a job as town spokesman or something. You'd be great for tourism here."

"Hmm, maybe I should…" Emma said with mock consideration.

"We really shouldn't even say that too loud around here," Lorelai said. "Taylor will hear and take us seriously."

"I met Taylor, didn't I?"

"Probably, at the Firelight Festival anyway. He was one of the guys in the gazebo."

"The older one with the gray hair, bald on top?"

"Yep, that's Taylor."

"Okay. He seemed a little…" Emma cut off, not able to find a word to describe her impression of Taylor accurately.

"Don't bother," Lorelai interrupted. "He's just Taylor. The best describing words for half the people in this town are their names."

"Nice," Emma said as they neared the video store. "I like how, um, whacky this town is. I think it's funny."

"Speaking of whacky," Lorelai said as they walked in the video store doors, indicating the man at the counter.

Emma laughed to herself, recognizing the man as Kirk, who she had met at the festival. He should really have been the town spokesman, he was the very picture of Star's Hollow whacky. He was going through a pile of videos that people had returned, examining each one as if he had the most important job in the world.

Lorelai quickly grabbed the three videos off of the shelves. She looked as if she knew the entire layout of the store by heart. She and Emma went up to the counter to check them out.

"Hi, Kirk," Emma said. She wondered if Kirk would remember who she was.

He looked up from his videos, and wore a blank expression for a moment. After studying Emma's face for a second, he looked as if he recognized her. "You're Lorelai's granddaughter, right?" he asked, again as if it were a matter of extreme importance. "Rory's daughter."

"Yep, that's me. I also sometimes go by Emma."

"That's right," he said. He went back to his videos as if he hadn't seen them.

After a few moments Lorelai figured she had to get Kirk's attention. "Uh, Kirk? We are trying to check out movies here."

Once again, she got no response. "Kirk? I have my card this time. I didn't lose it. You do have to check out these movies for me whether you want to or not."

Kirk continued examining his stack of videos as if Lorelai had said nothing. The stack got continually smaller until there weren't any videos left in the pile. He looked frustrated, then looked up at Lorelai as if it were a last resort. "Not one scratch! People are actually taking care of the videos they have rented! When did that happen? Why can't people destroy things they rent like they used to? What is this world coming to?"

"You want the videos to be destroyed?" Emma asked, looking confused.

Lorelai nudged Emma with her elbow, and said under her breath, "Never ask."

"We were having a problem with people messing up the videos and then returning them. A lot of the videos in the store were completely unusable. We had to throw some of them away. Now Taylor's offering me a bonus for every mangled video I find so we can catch whoever's doing it, and whoever it was stopped mangling them!"

"Okay Kirk, that's terrible, but can we just check out our videos?" Lorelai said, slightly annoyed.

"Was it you?" Kirk asked looking at Lorelai, his face twisting into a frown that Emma found more than a little disturbing. "I'll bet you were doing it, and now you know I'm checking, so you stopped."

"No, Kirk," Lorelai looked more annoyed now. "It wasn't me. Why would I rent videos, mess them up, and give them back to the store?"

"Some elaborate practical joke."

"I wouldn't…" Lorelai trailed off, as if she had thought better of what she was about to say. "I didn't do it, okay? Just take my word for it."

"I'll let you off with a warning this time, since there's no evidence, but the next time, just wait, I'll have you banned from the store," Kirk said as he checked out Lorelai's three videos.

"There won't be a 'next time' because there wasn't a 'this time'," Lorelai said, grabbing the videos and starting to leaving the store.

Emma followed her. Kirk said something in reply, but Emma didn't hear it because they had already left by the time he got it out. "Whacky," Emma said.

"Yep, that's a good word for it."

"Did you…?" Emma trailed off, unsure whether she should ask, although she did want to know.

"No. Good idea though, whoever it was."

"Nice," Emma said. She noticed that they were headed in the direction that Emma thought going away from Lorelai's house. "Aren't we going back to your house?" Emma asked.

"Nope. We're going to Doose's."

"Why?"

"You didn't think we'd watch three movies without food, did you?"

"Oh. Um, guess not."

"Good answer." Lorelai and Emma walked into the market. "So, what should we get? We need chocolate definitely, marshmallows, red vines… what else?"

"Wow, what aren't we buying?"

"Probably nothing."

"Well, in the spirit of buying out the whole store, let's get some ice cream and some of that chocolate whipped cream. The kind in the can."

"I like your spunk," Lorelai said, grabbing the two things. "Oh, we need goldfish. You can't have a sleepover without goldfish."

"Why?"

"You just can't. Take my word for it."

"Okay…"

Lorelai grabbed a few more things and they went to check out. Emma was amazed, although slightly disappointed, that they made it out of the store without anyone stopping them for any reason. She wanted to get back to Lorelai's house, but she also liked the Star's Hollow drama.

"It's cold out!" Emma said as they headed back toward Lorelai's house.

"I know it is. Great night for a movie."

"Or three," Emma added.

"Or three," Lorelai agreed, smiling.

"Okay, what should we watch first?" Lorelai asked.

"Let's watch _Legally Blonde._"

"Okay." Lorelai popped the DVD into the player.

The movie came on, but not five minutes into it the picture started acting weird. Little sections of it were getting cut off, and within a minute the entire picture was illegible. The sound came in bits and pieces, so that neither Emma nor Lorelai could understand any of it.

"Might want to pop that out," Emma said to Lorelai as she grabbed a handful of pizza flavored goldfish.

"Yea," said Lorelai. "Kirk must have missed this one."

"That's too funny. Wonder if the sequal's okay?"

"Let's try it."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Luke came in about halfway through _Legally Blonde II. _After both movies, Emma and Lorelai were still sitting in Lorelai's living room, very much awake although it was well after midnight.

"So how'd you like it?" Lorelai asked Emma, referring to _The Way We Were_.

"It was alright. I don't think I would have liked it without your commentary."

"It does add a little something, doesn't it?"

"Definitely. It was much more entertaining than it would have been otherwise. We should probably go to bed soon though, right? It's getting sort of late."

"Okay, I guess so," Lorelai said, looking a little disappointed. "Here, follow me." Lorelai got up and started walking in the direction of the kitchen, and Emma followed obediently.

Lorelai opened the door that Emma had assumed was a closet. Emma followed Lorelai into the room, and found that she had been very wrong. It looked as it nothing had moved since Rory had lived there. Emma wouldn't have been surprised if Lorelai hadn't even entered the room since then.

Emma watched Lorelai enter the room with care, as if it were the most dangerous thing she could do. She looked around as if she really hadn't been in the room in years. "So, make yourself at home," Lorelai said, fostering a light tone of voice. Sometimes Emma thought it was funny when a person's tone of voice said something but their expression said something entirely different. At the present moment, it wasn't. "I'm going to go see if Luke's still awake." As Lorelai left the room, Emma thought she saw a tear on her cheek.

Emma thought about stopping Lorelai. She wanted to say something to her, but realized that now was not a good time. Instead, she took Lorelai's instructions to heart. She looked around her mom's old room.

There were what looked to be thousands of books, on shelves, in drawers, and under the bed. A bulletin board was decorated with Yale paraphernalia. There was a stereo sitting on Rory's old dresser, and piles of CDs beside it. Emma looked through the CDs. She figured that now would be a good time for some background music.

Emma had heard of most of the groups and artists before, whether from her parents or from Lane. One CD caught her eye, and she realized that she had never heard of the group on the cover before. They were called _Five for Fighting_. The CD was called _The Battle for Everything_. It sounded intriguing, so Emma opened the box. It was stiff, as if it hadn't been opened many times before. Emma put the CD into the stereo. The music was a little strange. It had a neat sound to it, but some of the lyrics were a little too out there for Emma's taste.

Looking around further, Emma found two binders on Rory's desk. One was labeled "Books" and the other was labeled "Music." Emma picked up the "Music" binder and opened it. It looked like a catalog of all of Rory's CDs. They were in alphabetical order by artist, and each had a short description of the CD according to Rory.

Emma looked up the CD she was listening to. She read the description in Rory's handwriting: _Not one of my favorites. "100 Years"_ _is good, that's why I bought the CD. Nice sound, bad lyrics. I may have listened to it twice. Mom hates it._

Emma thought it was funny that Rory and Lorelai hadn't liked the CD much either. She left it on however; it did make good background music.

Emma found a pair of Rory's old pajamas and got into Rory's bed. She left the music on, figuring that it would turn off when the CD was over.

Although she was almost asleep, Emma found herself listening to the last song on the CD, in spite of her intentions. She found herself thinking about the Lorelai/Rory situation again, although she had taken a break. The two seemed to connect, the song and the situation. _I'm nobody without you buddy. My long lost friend._ Most of the song didn't make much sense to Emma, but this line did. She didn't even have to justify it in her head, it just made sense. As she continued to listen, her own thoughts about Rory and Lorelai flowing smoothly through the background of her mind, another line caught her ear as well. It was a spoken part near the end of the song.

_Though_ _endings are never ever happy, it's the happy moments along the way that in the end make it okay._ That made sense to Emma as well. She thought it was neat because it was one thing she had never thought of before. Endings couldn't be happy, they were endings. Whatever had happened, it was over. How could that be happy? The things that happened in the middle were what could make anything happy. Lorelai and Rory had had a wonderful middle. From what Emma knew, that had had many happy moments. Maybe their ending had come. The ending wasn't happy, but maybe all of their happy moments along the way made it okay. These thoughts drifted in and out of Emma's head smoothly, and they made perfect sense to her in her half-asleep state. Emma drifted slowly to sleep, all of these thoughts running through her head.

"Emma!" a familiar voice said softly, yet urgently. Emma felt a hand shaking her shoulder gently. It took her a moment to get her bearings, but she soon realized where she was and who was standing next to the bed.

"Lorelai?" Emma said groggily. Emma rolled over and looked at the clock beside the bed. "It's four o' clock in the morning."

"I know. Come on!" Lorelai said. Emma got out of bed and followed Lorelai, hearing the urgency in her voice.

"Everything okay?" Emma asked, remembering the last time she had seen Lorelai.

"Yea, great. Grab your coat."

"What?"

"Come on!"

Emma pulled on her coat and followed Lorelai outside. Lorelai stopped about halfway down the sidewalk in front of her house and looked toward the sky.

"Is the spaceship coming for us?" Emma asked, still slightly unhappy about being woken up.

"No, better," Lorelai said, smiling a genuine, sweet, naïve smile. "Take a deep breath."

Emma was confused. "What?"

"Do it."

Emma did, mostly just to keep Lorelai calm. "What?" she said again.

"I smell snow."

"What?"

"I smell snow. It's coming, I can feel it. Any minute now, just wait."

"What?"

"I can tell. Every year I can tell, and I'm never wrong."

"Really? That's pretty impressive."

"I think so. I can't wait. Any minute now."

Lorelai and Emma stood on the sidewalk for a moment, staring at the sky. Lorelai kept on talking. "You know, Rory and I used to take a walk every year during the first snow of the season. We'd get coffee and doughnuts, and take out all of our hats, gloves, scarves and coats, and walk all around the town. It was one of my favorite traditions."

This was the first time Emma had heard Lorelai mention Rory voluntarily. "That must have been nice," she said, smiling.

"It was," she said. Lorelai paused for a moment. "Luke hates the cold," she said after a moment. "I didn't want to wake him up. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Emma said, smiling.

"Thanks," Lorelai said. "This is no fun by yourself."

They stared up at the sky for another moment. They both saw it at the exact same time. They both pointed wordlessly at it, and followed it to the ground with their fingers. The first snowflake of the year.

"Wow," they both breathed in unison. As soon as the first flake hit the ground, more started appearing. Emma and Lorelai were surrounded in snowflakes, and both happier than they'd been in days.

Emma didn't want to break the silence, but she did. "Go get the stuff," she whispered.

"What?"

"Get your hat, gloves, and scarf. If you have any extra stuff, grab it for me. I'll make the coffee."

"We don't have doughnuts."

"I think we can do something about that. Don't you have a key to Luke's diner?"

"Yea, I do," Lorelai said, her face brightening. "You sure you want to do this? It's four o' clock in the morning."

"Yes," Emma said firmly, although the smile never left her face.

"Make the coffee strong."

"Of course."

Emma and Lorelai walked down the street toward Luke's diner. They were wearing cute winter clothes. Lorelai had found some for Emma without a problem. They each carried a big travel mug full of strong coffee.

"I feel like we're breaking and entering," Lorelai said as she opened the door to Luke's diner.

"I get the feeling that that has never stopped you before," Emma said. "Besides, using your own key to get into your husband's diner is definitely not breaking and entering."

"Okay, you're right," Lorelai said. "But this would be so much more fun if we were breaking and entering."

"We can pretend."

"With codenames and sirens?"

"Of course."

"You are my favorite granddaughter."

"Okay, what are our codenames?"

"Um, you be Quick Squirrel and I'll be Sly Fox."

"Why don't I get to be Sly Fox?"

"Because I made up the names."

"Of course. Okay Sly Fox, we made it in. Now let's close in on the doughnuts."

"Okay. We have to move quickly because the police are hot on our trail." Lorelai went over and took some doughnuts from the clear cases on the counter where Luke kept them. She put them stealthily into a paper bag. "Okay Quick Squirrel, we've secured the goods. Let's move!"

"Oh no, the police are coming! Weeeeeewwwwww, weeeeeewwwww! Hear the sirens? We have to get out of here!"

Lorelai and Rory ran out of the diner. "WEEEEWWWWWW, WWEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW, WEEEWWWWWW!" Lorelai stopped to lock the diner back up.

"That was fun," Emma said.

"Yes it was." Lorelai was smiling. She looked happier than Emma had ever seen her.

"Okay, we have our doughnuts, it's time to finish our walk."

"I think we might have a new tradition on our hands," said Lorelai.

"No," said Emma. "It's an old one."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

By the time Emma and Lorelai got back from their walk, it was just after six o' clock a.m. They both went back to bed for a few hours. Emma woke up again around ten thirty. She found that Lorelai wasn't up yet. She thought about poking around her mother's old things again, but decided against it.

After leaving Rory's room, Emma wandered through the door that she thought was the bathroom. She figured out almost immediately that it wasn't, it looked like a closet. Completely random things were inside, some that Emma guessed could only have come from her great grandmother, Emily. A box caught Emma's attention. It could almost have been an ordinary hat box, but it was stuffed to the brim, so much that the lid didn't sit right on the box. Emma couldn't figure out why Lorelai would have a hat box anyway, unless it too had come from Emily.

Emma's curiosity got the best of her, and she opened the box. It was full of little slips of paper. Emma's first reaction was that the hat box was Lorelai's form of organization, the place where she put receipts and other semi-official things for tax purposes. It did seem like something Lorelai might do.

Emma wasn't sure why, but she looked at the papers a little longer, even after she had reached her conclusion. She was happy she did, for she found that her conclusion had been wrong. The slips of paper had random things written on them. Emma couldn't tell what a lot of them said or meant. If this was Lorelai's handwriting, it was pretty messy.

Emma heard Lorelai coming down the stairs. She wasn't sure if she should ask Lorelai about what she had found or not, but she got out of the closet to greet her. "Morning, Lorelai."

"Hi, Emma. I almost forgot that you were here."

"Well, I'm still here. Funky sleeping pattern last night though, wasn't it?"

"A little bit. I've had worse. Want some breakfast? Let's go to Luke's."

"Sounds good." Emma decided to drop the issue of the box she had found. She didn't know what the heck those slips of paper had been for, but she was sure she'd find out eventually, if it even mattered. She really didn't want to tell Lorelai she'd been going through her closet either. Although they were getting to know each other better each day, Emma was still in a bit of an awkward stage with Lorelai. She still wanted Lorelai to like her more than anything, and neither of them knew the other well enough to be un-phased by a "yea, I was looking through your closet, and I found this box. What's that all about?"

Half an hour later, Emma sat at a table inside Luke's diner across from Lorelai. They each had a plate of pancakes and a large mug of coffee in front of them. "I actually have never eaten in here before. I mean, I came in with you last night to steal doughnuts, but I've never actually ordered like a normal person."

"Well, then it's a good thing you're in here now, isn't it?"

"Definitely. The pancakes are really good, and I don't know how Luke makes his coffee so much better than anybody else."

"Neither do I. He won't tell me. We're married, and he still won't tell me how he makes his coffee so well. I'm not even sure he knows." Lorelai smiled.

"You're probably right."

"Yea. So Emma, think you can get a ride home?"

"Probably. I have to call my mom."

"Okay. You can do that when we get back to my house."

"Sounds good." Emma said. A moment later, she noticed a familiar, short woman come up to their table.

"Emma! Doll! What are you doin' here?"

"Hi Babette. I stayed at Lorelai's last night."

"Oh, a sleepova'! Sounds like fun! You girls get any sleep?"

"We did okay," Lorelai cut in.

"Lorelai, I still can't believe you have a granddaughter. Makes me feel old! How's your mom doin' Emma?"

"She's alright."

"Good. Tell her I said hi, will ya?"

"Definitely."

"Good. Well, I'm gonna see about gettin' some food, I'll talk to ya later, okay?"

"Okay. Bye Babette!" Emma said.

"Bye Babette," Lorelai said.

"Okay, I'm done eating. About ready to go?" Emma asked.

"I'm ready when you are," Lorelai said, standing up and pulling on her coat.

"Don't you have to pay?"

"No, I'm married to the guy who owns this place, remember?"

"So you don't have to pay? Luke doesn't mind?"

"Well, he minds, but I don't," Lorelai said with a mischievous smile.

"You're terrible. Aren't you at least going to leave a tip?"

"Hey, Luke gets his tip every night."

"Okay," said Emma, making a face. "You're my _grandmother._ I _really_ don't want to hear it!"

"Alright then, let's go."

"Not complaining."

"Mom's picking me up," Emma said after hanging up Lorelai's phone.

"Good. I wouldn't have minded you staying another night or whatever, but I'm sure you have to get home."

"Yea, I still have homework."

"Okay."

Emma sat down on the couch next to Lorelai. She thought about Lorelai and about Rory. She considered her old plan to get them back together. She hadn't given it much thought lately. She wasn't sure what to do next. Her last plan had obviously failed, and she hadn't yet come up with another. Racking her brain, she suddenly had an idea. It was an old idea, but had a new twist on it. She suddenly wondered if her next, and possibly most important, ally was sitting right beside her. "Lorelai?" she said, as she began to formulate the question she had been meaning to ask for the past two days.

"Yea?"

"Do you think it's been too long?"

Emma had expected to have to explain herself. The question was fairly random, but Lorelai seemed to know immediately what Emma meant. Emma had also expected a "yes" or some long statement leading to a "yes." Instead, Lorelai got up and started to walk away. Emma didn't know why. Staying on the couch and watching Lorelai, Emma saw Lorelai go to the closet Emma had found that morning. She returned with the hat box.

Emma hadn't expected to get her answer as to the contents of the box just then, but that's what she got. "Look," Lorelai said, sitting down beside Emma with the box on her lap. She took the lid off of the box.

"What's that?" Emma asked. She knew she hadn't needed to ask, Lorelai was about to tell her.

"These are all the things I've wanted to tell Rory. I wrote them all down so that I wouldn't forget. Some of them are old, from when we first started fighting. The thing is, not all of them are." Lorelai pulled a scrap of paper off of the top of the pile. "This one's from yesterday." Emma really wasn't expecting the next thing Lorelai said. "I'm going to tell her every single thing I've written down once we're talking again." She didn't say it as a joke, and she didn't say it lightly. It was one of the most serious things Emma had ever heard Lorelai say.

"So…" was all that Emma could get out. She said it almost in a whisper, although she didn't know why.

"It hasn't been too long," Lorelai said in a quiet voice.

Emma felt tears stinging the sides of her eyes. She didn't know why, it was the happiest thing she had heard in a long time. Silence hung in the air, and the thing that broke the silence was the honking of Rory's car horn.

Emma gave Lorelai a goodbye hug, and went out to the car. Blinking a couple of times easily cleared the tears from her eyes, and she climbed into the passenger seat and closed the car door.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The car ride home passed in a blur. Emma wasn't sure if she had said anything to her mother the whole ride or not, she was too preoccupied by what Lorelai had told her. It shouldn't have been such a shock to her, she had known that Lorelai wanted to talk to Rory again for as long as she had known Lorelai. Now however, she knew that Lorelai still had actual hope of talking to Rory again, that it wasn't just a daydream that she thought could never happen.

Emma was in her room sitting on her bed, the one place she always seemed to end up when it was time to think about her plan. She took a minute to digest everything that had happened over the past day, all she and Lorelai had talked about, the movies, Kirk, and more importantly, everything that had happened in the snow, the doughnuts, the walk, and even more importantly, the hat box.

Emma realized for the first time that she was almost like Lorelai's Rory. So many of the things that Lorelai used to do with Rory were now shared with Emma. The movies, the walk through the snow, even some of the things they talked about used to be between Lorelai and Rory, long before Emma was born. Emma was happy to be in her mother's place, but she knew that the place rightfully belonged to her mother.

For the first time, Emma realized that Rory's reunion with Lorelai could have a negative consequence. Emma had never thought of it as anything but positive, but, for the first time, she found herself wondering what her place in Lorelai's life would be if Lorelai had Rory back. She didn't want to be a normal grandchild. She wanted her relationship with Lorelai to be special, different from anyone else's relationship with their grandmothers. Now she had that. If Lorelai had Rory back, she found herself thinking that she might lose it.

Even with this possibility in existence, Emma didn't consider abandoning the plan altogether, not even for a moment. She knew that Lorelai and Rory needed to reconcile, and she knew that they needed outside help. They both wanted to, and even if Rory wasn't admitting it, both had some amount of hope that it would happen. Emma knew that, no matter how much they wanted to, they wouldn't do it on their own. Emma knew that she needed to help, to push them a little to the point where they would make up again.

Emma's problem was that she wasn't sure how to help them anymore. Obviously the trickery method was not going to work, that had been tried. Emma wasn't even sure she could get outside help. She knew that Lane, Sookie, Paris, and even Luke would be happy to help, but she didn't know what they could do either. Lane was better with deception, and Emma had established that that wasn't going to work this time.

Emma wondered if she should tell her mother about the hat box. Maybe if Rory knew that Lorelai still had hope, she would have a little more hope herself. Maybe it would be enough to get her to make up with Lorelai. Emma still knew that it was Rory who had to initiate it. Lorelai had done nothing wrong, she had only done what was best for Rory at the time.

It seemed like a good idea, but somehow Emma felt that it wasn't her secret to tell. Not that it was exactly a secret, but it seemed like Lorelai had kept the hat box hidden. She had kept it in a closet, not out on a shelf or somewhere where it could be easily seen. Emma felt that the hat box, like so many other things, was between Lorelai and Rory.

Emma wasn't sure how to phrase her place in the situation between Lorelai and Rory. She knew that it didn't need to be phrased, that she would never have to explain it to anyone. Somehow though, it sometimes helped Emma to put something into words. She felt that she might be able to better figure out what to do if she could phrase it in her own mind. Try as she might, she couldn't do it. She got it into her mind that she had to put the situation into some type of context in order to fully understand it, and then fix it.

By ten o' clock that night, Emma knew she had to go to bed. She did have school the next day, so she figured she would have to give her thoughts about the situation a rest. Maybe she would be able to understand the situation better with a fresh mind. Even as she lay in bed, all that she could think about were Lorelai and Rory.

While she slept, Emma had one dream. She may have had more, but this was the only one she remembered. The dream involved a house. Emma was outside the house looking in through an open window. Lorelai and Rory were inside the house, but in different rooms. There was a wall between the two rooms, but no door. Each room had a single window in it. Lorelai and Rory would occasionally come to their windows and talk to Emma. Sometimes one of them would even leave the house to be with Emma. They never left the house at the same time, and they never entered each other's rooms. Sometimes one of them would walk over to the wall between the rooms and stare at it, as if willing it to disappear. Occasionally Emma would enter the house, but she would only visit one room at a time, and she would never stay inside for very long. Emma kept trying to knock down the wall between the rooms, but she never managed to get it down. Every now and then she made a hole in the wall, but the hole would close up again right after it was made. It seemed as if the wall was getting thinner, but it still remained, and remained whole.

Emma woke up, and realized that she had her clarification. It had come in the form of a dream involving a very detailed metaphor. Emma thought that maybe she was going about it wrong. Maybe instead of trying to knock down the wall by force, she needed to continue to make it thinner and thinner, until finally it didn't exist at all. It seemed like it would take more time, but the other method wasn't getting her anywhere.

The problem was that Emma didn't know how to go about doing that, either. Rory was the one that really needed to change. She needed to realize how much they both wanted to make up, and she needed to be the one to do whatever it was that needed to be done in order for Lorelai and Rory to get the relationship that they used to have back.

Emma almost had an idea. She got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. She never really needed breakfast before school, but Sophia always made good breakfasts, so Emma always ate them. Emma found her mother at the table reading the newspaper. When Emma sat down, Rory looked up from her paper. "Morning, Emma."

"Hi," Emma said. She took a muffin off of a plate in the center of the table. "Mom," she said casually, getting Rory's attention again. "Want to go out for lunch again on Saturday?" Rory gave Emma a suspicious look, but before Rory could say anything, Emma said, "Just us this time, I promise. No Lorelai, no Sookie, and anybody that shows up from Star's Hollow will be there out of pure coincidence. You can even pick the place."

"Okay," Rory said. "You aren't going to Lorelai's on Saturday?"

"Not yet, as far as I know. If I do, I can go after lunch."

"Okay."

"Um, okay," Emma said. "I should probably go before I miss my bus."

"See you tonight."

"Bye," said Emma, grabbing her jacket and her backpack before leaving. Emma really had no idea why she had asked her mother to go to lunch with her. She knew she would talk or hint about something Lorelai related, but she didn't have the slightest idea what.

Emma had a weird day at school. Although she usually paid attention, today she was completely preoccupied. All that she could think about was what she would say to Rory on Saturday.

At the end of English, eighth period, the strangest thing that had happened to Emma all day happened. The guy that sat behind Emma tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped a little, she had sort of been in her own world, as she had been all day. Then she turned around and saw a tall guy with short dark hair and blue eyes looking at her. She recognized him from a few of her classes. His name was Alex Marten. Emma knew who he was, but had never really given him a second thought. "Hey, um, Emma?" he said.

"Yea?"

"Will you go to the dance with me on Saturday?"

"There's a dance on Saturday?" After Emma had said it, she realized it sounded completely moronic. She didn't usually go to dances or anything like that. It wasn't her type of thing.

"Um, yea." It was clear that Alex hadn't been expecting Emma's question. "It's the Winter Formal."

"Oh, yea." Emma had heard of the dance, but had never given any thought to going.

"So can you go?"

"Um, yea," Emma said almost automatically. She wasn't sure why she had said yes. She had no interest in going to the dance, and she usually went to Lorelai's on Saturdays.

"Great," he said. "The dance starts at seven, I could pick you up at six thirty."

"Do you know where I live?"

"No, not really."

"Um, okay, I'll give you directions…" Just then the bell rang. "Tomorrow." Emma added.

Emma went to her next class, and the whole thing passed in a complete blur. She had no idea why she had said yes, she barely knew Alex. He was definitely hot, but she had only talked to him once, which was at the end of English class that day. He seemed nice enough, and apparently he liked her, but that was all she knew about him.

Emma wanted to talk to somebody. She thought of going home and immediately calling Adriane, but she had swim team practice after school, so Emma probably wouldn't be able to talk to her for another three hours. She couldn't wait that long, she needed to tell someone. She wouldn't talk to Rory, and she probably wouldn't be home anyway.

When the bell rang, Emma didn't get on her normal bus. Instead, she got on the bus that her mother used to take every day. The bus to Star's Hollow. It was about a twenty minute ride, and when Emma got to Star's Hollow, she went immediately to Lorelai's house. After ringing the bell three times, Emma realized that Lorelai was probably at work. She walked to the Dragonfly Inn, and found Michel at the front desk. "Michel, where's Lorelai?"

"I don't know, I am not her guard dog."

"Is she here?"

"Probably, however I do not know where."

"Thanks Michel, you're a big help," Emma said. She went into the kitchen, hoping that Sookie would know where Lorelai was.

The first person that Emma saw when she walked into the kitchen was not, however, Sookie. It was Lorelai. She turned around and looked surprised to see Emma standing in the doorway. "Emma! What are you doing here? You didn't tell me you were coming today."

"I didn't even know I was coming today."

"Okay, I mean, it's fine that you came, I just wasn't expecting you."

"I know." Emma thought about asking to talk to Lorelai alone, but it was only Lorelai and Sookie in the kitchen, and Emma knew Sookie well enough that she didn't mind her knowing what she was going to tell Lorelai. "I got asked to a dance on Saturday."

"What? That's great!" Seeing Emma's expression, Lorelai added, "Isn't it? Did you say yes?"

"I think I did. I was so surprised, I'm not totally sure what I said, I didn't even know there was a dance on Saturday. Apparently it's a formal thing. I assume that means we're supposed to get dressed up. I definitely don't have a dress, I was not expecting this at all. You know me, I like to know what's going to happen before it happens. I don't particularly like surprises. Especially things like this, I need to plan out what I'm going to say. I had no time to prepare for this, I wasn't ready!"

"Okay, Emma, calm down," Lorelai said. "Getting asked to a dance is not a bad thing. Well, actually, that depends. Who asked you? Is he hot?"

Emma let out a stream of air. "His name's Alex Marten. And yes, I think he's hot." Emma smiled a little.

"Well, then it's definitely a good thing," Lorelai said, smiling sweetly. "We definitely have to break you of not liking surprises," She said, looking serious again. "Surprises are fun, and sometimes you just have to be able to deal with something without knowing exactly what's going to happen ahead of time. Yes, some surprises are bad, but some are good. Getting asked out without expecting it definitely falls into the good category." Lorelai was smiling again.

"I didn't want to get asked out, though. I was doing fine, I don't need a boyfriend. I don't like dances, it's not my kind of thing. I have other things going on in my life, I really don't have time for guys and dances."

"Getting asked to one dance doesn't make this guy your boyfriend. It's just a date, that's all. And I have to ask, have you ever been to a dance?"

"No."

"Then you can't really say it's not your kind of thing. Give it a chance, you might like it. It'll give you a chance to talk to other people from your school. I know you like talking to people, and you're good at it. It might actually be fun for you."

"I still don't have a dress."

"That's the last thing you have to worry about. I know your Mom would be happy to buy one for you, or I could make you one, if you want."

"You can make dresses?"

"Yea. I made Rory's dress when she went to the Chilton Winter Formal."

"Wow, so there is actually one grandma like thing that you can do. That's so cool. Wow, that would be so cool to go to a dance with a dress made by my grandmother. It's so cliché, I like it."

"So I take it you want me to make you a dress?" Lorelai was smiling again, but it was a different smile. It was a big, genuine smile, not a small, sweet one like before.

"If you don't mind," Emma said with a pleading look trying to cover her smile.

"I don't mind at all," Lorelai said, "Come back to my house later and I can get your measurements."

"Sure."

"Hate to bring this up now, but you usually come over my house on Saturdays. How about you come over my house after school on Friday so we can get the finishing touches done on the dress."

"No problem there."

"Good. Now, you can't expect me to make you this dress for free."

"I can't?"

"No. If you want me to make you a dress, you have to agree to two things."

"One: Take lots of pictures. I need at least one picture of you and this guy together, either at the dance or before you leave."

"I can do that."

"Two: Come over on Sunday and tell me all about it. Leave nothing out."

"Try and stop me."

"Then you got yourself a dress."

"Good."

Sookie cut in from the background. "That's so nice! I remember when Rory went to her Winter Formal. Wasn't that when you hurt your back?" Sookie directed the last sentence toward Lorelai.

"Yea," Lorelai said laughing a little.

"How did you hurt your back?" Emma asked.

"Rory's dress attacked her," Sookie said before Lorelai could answer.

"You were attacked by a dress?"

"Kind of. Yea, that's pretty much it," Lorelai said.

"Maybe I shouldn't let you make my dress."

"Hey, you're the one who wanted me to make it."

"I know, you're right. Just try not to hurt yourself."

"I'll try my hardest."

"Is this your first date, Emma?" Sookie asked.

"Yea, it is."

"Aw, that's so sweet!"

"Okay, Emma. Let's go home. I was going to leave before you got here anyway. I'll see you later, Sookie," Lorelai said.

"Bye Sookie!" Emma said.

"Bye girls, take a picture for me too, Emma!"

"I will."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"I still can't believe you can sew," Emma said as Lorelai took her measurements. "I can't sew. I took sewing in eighth grade, we had to, and let's just say I never took it again. I was terrible."

"I could teach you if you want," Lorelai said.

"No, I think it's better that I don't even attempt. It could be dangerous for me and anyone else within about a mile. Klutz with a needle, it's a bit dangerous."

"Excuse me, have you met me? Here are some words of wisdom, never forget them: Never ever be in a moving vehicle with me and a hot cup of coffee."

"I'll remember that, but I still can't sew."

"Understood. Okay, all measured." Lorelai put down her tape measure dramatically. "Any ideas on what you want your dress to look like?"

"Surprise me, I trust you."

"I'm not sure why."

"Neither am I, just don't make me anything that looks like it should belong to a stripper or a prostitute."

"Aw man, you ruined my idea."

"Sorry about that. Get another one."

"You don't think Alex would like a hooker dress?"

"No."

"What do you know about him anyway, I must know."

"He's smart, I know that, he obviously goes to Chilton, he sits behind me in English."

"Is he, or is his family, you know, do they have money?"

Emma was a little confused. "Well, I'm sure they have some…"

"No, I mean, a lot of money. I remember when Rory went to Chilton there were a few, you know, snobby people she ran into."

"No, I'm sure he's not like that. Not all people who have money are snobs you know."

"I know, I mean, my parents are, and your other grandparents, but I'm sure there are people who aren't."

"There are."

"Oh yea, I guess your family has money, and you're not like that."

"No, I'm definitely not," Emma said firmly. She wasn't a huge fan of the conversation they were having, it was a little too heated.

Lorelai caught Emma's look. "Emma, I didn't mean…"

"I know."

"I just…"

"I know, Lorelai," Emma said softly. "You have a problem with people like us, people with more money in their lifestyle than you. I can't really say I blame you, with everything that's happened in your life. Your parents, and Dad's parents, all that happened with Rory. I get it." Emma paused, and Lorelai started to say something, but Emma continued, not wanting to lose her momentum, if you could call it that. "But you know, you're going to have to get over that, at least a little bit, and realize that just because someone has money doesn't mean that they aren't a good person. Mom isn't going to change her lifestyle for you."

Lorelai seemed to not understand how the last sentence fit into the rest of Emma's little speech. "What?" she said in a small voice.

"It's not secret that you don't like my dad. I get it, I can see why you don't. It's like to you, he seems like the reason why Mom didn't end up like you wanted her to. Instead of graduating and becoming a journalist, she married into money."

Lorelai shot Emma a sad look that seemed to say "Don't remind me."

"But you know, she isn't going to divorce Dad and change her entire lifestyle. I wouldn't want that, although you might. If you want to make up with her, you have to accept her and accept our lifestyle for the way it is."

The room was silent for a long moment. Emma had said all that she needed to say, and Lorelai didn't know how to respond. The weight of what Emma had said hung in the air. Lorelai's expression was sad, but somehow understanding. Emma wasn't smiling, but she felt somehow triumphant, as if she had finally figured out some new piece of the family puzzle, some clue that would help her to reunite mother and daughter. The fact that she had said it out loud, particularly to Lorelai, helped even more.

"I should call for a ride," Emma said.

Lorelai nodded, not truly saying anything.

Emma's car ride home was a little uncomfortable. Her mother wasn't particularly happy with her for going to Lorelai's after school instead of coming home and not calling until she needed a ride. Lorelai hadn't said a thing until Emma left, she hadn't even said goodbye. Emma had given her a quick goodbye hug, but had gotten no response. So her mother was upset with her, and she was afraid Lorelai was upset with her as well.

Thinking that now was as good a time as ever, Emma told Rory her news. "I'm going to the Chilton Winter Formal on Saturday."

Rory didn't respond right away, even her face remained expressionless. Eventually she said, still without expression, "Do you need a dress?"

"Lorelai's making me one."

Rory didn't really respond, but she nodded a little and made a noise of acknowledgement. Rory didn't ask questions, which was out of character for her. Emma had expected a million questions, like who she was going with and what she knew about him, much like Lorelai had done. Strangely though, Emma's mother was preoccupied, much like Lorelai had been.

"Lunch still on for Saturday afternoon?" Emma asked her mother.

This seemed to somehow snap Rory from her trance. "Oh, yes, definitely."

"Good."

The next afternoon, Emma had to go to English again. She was ready this time, though. She had the directions to her house neatly written on her favorite stationary: lilac paper with a big blue butterfly in the bottom right corner, just the right shade so that you could see it, but still see what was written over top of it. The paper itself was about the size of a half sheet of normal sized paper. She had written in dark purple ink with glitter in it. She had had to write carefully so that her hand didn't smudge the ink, and she had let it dry overnight.

She had the note folded in half in her jacket pocket, and she had her hand in the pocket, clutching the note carefully, so that it didn't wrinkle. Emma went to her desk in the front row and set her books down on it. She sat down, and then turned around to see Alex sitting in the seat behind her, as always. She smiled sweetly, trying to mimic the smile she had seen Lorelai wearing while talking to Luke, and said, "Hi, Alex." She was happy she had remembered to use his name. "Here are the directions to my house," she said, handing him the paper.

"Thanks, Emma."

There were still three minutes until the bell rang, so Emma decided to try to get some more information. She hoped she didn't sound like a complete idiot. "So how long have you been going here, since ninth grade?"

"No, beginning of this year."

"Really? Me too. Where did you go before Chilton?"

"Hartford High."

"So did I. It was a big school though, maybe that's why I didn't know you."  
"Yea, probably."

"I liked it, it was a pretty good school, even though I only went there a year."

"It was okay. I like it here better. I'm pretty happy I got a scholarship here."

"Yea, that helps."

"Definitely."

At that point, the bell rang. Emma didn't get to ask Alex any more questions. Despite what she had told Lorelai, Emma was happy that Alex had gotten into Chilton on a scholarship. She probably wouldn't have to worry about the snob factor that Lorelai had been talking about.

At the end of the period, Alex came up to Emma as she was picking up her things. "What do you have next?" he asked.

"Uh, art."

"Tech drawing, I'll walk you down. Where's your locker?" Alex took Emma's books from her and started walking toward the door.

"Right down the hall here, it's on the way."

"Do you usually get all of your things now?"

"Yea, do you?" Emma asked as they walked out of the classroom.

"No, my locker's that way," he said, pointing the opposite direction that they were walking. "It's on the way to my bus, so I stop at the end of the day."

"Okay. This one's mine," Emma said, pointing to a locker. She opened it, and Alex gave Emma her books back.

"Thanks," she said. She wasn't talking much, but her mind was racing. _He actually carried my books_, she thought. She smiled. She had always sort of liked the idea of a guy carrying her books and opening doors and things for her, as old fashioned as it was.

Emma got her backpack out of her locker, and started to pull it on. "I got it," Alex said, grabbing her backpack, which was fairly heavy from all of the books in it.

"Thanks," Emma said again, smiling. She grabbed her jacket and draped it over one arm.

"So, this might be a weird question, but have you been to a dance before?"

"Not a weird question, not for me, and no, I haven't. It's typically not my scene, although I'm not really sure why."

"Me either."

"Then why did you ask me?"

"I had to ask you somewhere," Alex said, smiling a small and almost pathetic smile. "I've liked you since last year. We had a formal coming up, so I figured it was as good a chance as any."

"What?" Emma hadn't even heard the last sentence, she was too hung up on the one before it. "I didn't even know you last year."

"You didn't know me, but I'd seen you around, in the halls and at lunch. We were in the same lunch period. You sat with that girl Adriane. I think she's a swimmer, right?"

"Yea, she's my best friend."

"I swam for a season last year. I wasn't very good, and they practice a lot. I figured that if I didn't get the scholarship here, I'd keep swimming, otherwise I'd quit. I got the scholarship, so I didn't swim another year. This school's enough work."

"It definitely is."

"I remember seeing you at one of the meets."

"I go every now and then to watch Adriane."

"I remember seeing you there, and I think that's when I realized I liked you. You were cheering for her really loudly, and I thought that if you were that good a friend to come to one of our meets, which aren't short, and cheer that enthusiastically, you must be a pretty cool person. Every time I saw you, I think I liked you a little bit more."

Emma didn't know what to say. She hadn't even known that Alex existed until this year, and he had liked her for an entire year. _Don't most girls have the opposite problem? Maybe that's just in movies._

They walked to Emma's art class, and Alex actually walked in with her. "Where do you sit?" he asked.

"There," Emma pointed to her seat. Alex sat her backpack down beside her chair.

"See you tomorrow," he said.

"Yea, see ya." Emma said.

Emma went home after school, but went straight up to her room. She grabbed her phone off of its stand and immediately started dialing. Emma had to talk to her, regardless of their last conversation.

"Hello?" said a familiar voice.

"Hi, Lorelai." Emma was smiling from a combination of Lorelai's voice and Alex.

"Emma. Hi," Lorelai said. She didn't seem as excited as she usually did to hear Emma's voice.

As much as she wanted to tell Lorelai everything Alex had said, she had to clear something up. "You're not mad at me, are you?" Emma asked.

Emma didn't have to elaborate, Lorelai knew what she was talking about. "No, you were right."

"I know. I shouldn't have said it quite like I did, though. Sometimes when I think of something it just comes out, and I don't always choose the best way of saying things."

"I don't know how else you could have said it."

"I could have thought of something. You agree with me, though? You're going to try?"

"I'll try, it might take me awhile though."

"I can live with that."

"So, how's Alex?"

Emma smiled widely. "Mind reader," she said, as if it were an insult. "That's why I called."

"You sound happy."

"I am happy. He carried my books. He even carried my backpack to my art class, and it's not light, trust me."

"That's nice, Emma. He sounds like a pretty good guy."

"He is. He's liked me for a whole year! I didn't even know him a year ago. He went to Hartford High in ninth grade too. He used to swim with Adriane. He said he saw me at one of her meets, and he's liked me ever since. He liked me before I'd even ever seen him! Oh, and he's a scholarship student. He quit swimming when he got the scholarship to Chilton, he said he would have kept swimming if he hadn't gotten it."

"So he isn't rich. That could be good."

"It is."

"So you see my way of thinking now?"

"Sort of. I know what you meant, how some people are like that. I get it."

"Good. He sounds like a really good guy. That's great."

"He doesn't like dances, either. I mean, he's never been to one. So we'll both be at our first dance on Saturday."

"Aw, that's cute. Two dance virgins," Lorelai said in a funny high pitched voice.

"Hey, don't mock. It could be good. If one of us does something stupid because we've never been to a dance before, the other person will understand instead of laughing."

"Okay, it's good," Lorelai said, laughing.

Emma heard Michel in the background. "Lorelai, get off of ze phone. We have customers, you know."

Emma heard Sookie's voice. "Michel! She's talking to Emma. Leave her alone."

"Oh, I'm sorry. If you're talking to your precious granddaughter, the customers will have to wait. Should I tell them to go home? Maybe we should close the inn until the boss is off the phone with her granddaughter."

Lorelai's voice cut in, "Michel, I'm your boss! Not the other way around. I can fire you. You can't tell me when to get off the phone."

"You made me hang up with Cecile the other night!"

"You were on the inn's phone sweet talking your wife at the front desk while a customer was waiting for you to get to them. I'm on my cell phone in the kitchen, not bothering anyone. Unless anyone needs me personally, I don't have to hang up."

"What if they do?"

"They don't. I know because I brought it up in the first place."

"Oh darn it," Michel said, and Emma thought it sounded particularly funny with his French accent.

"Is he gone?" Emma asked, laughing.

"Yea, he left."

"Well, I'm done anyway, so you can go if you need to."

"Talk to me for a little while longer. After all that, I can't just hang up. Never let Michel win, that's one thing to always remember."

"I will remember that."

"Good. Did you give Alex your number?"

"Yea, I wrote my home number and my cell phone number on the piece of paper I wrote the directions to my house on," Emma said. "So he can pick me up on Saturday," she clarified, before Lorelai could say anything.

"Good. Don't be surprised if he calls you."

"I won't. I'm sort of assuming he will at some point."

"Good. I figured I'd warn you, I know you don't like surprises, although I will get you past that."

"You keep telling me that, but thanks."

"No problem. Okay, I'm gonna go now, Michel makes me nervous at the desk by himself."

"Can't blame you for that. I'll talk to you Friday, if not before that."

"Definitely. See ya."

"Bye."

After Emma hung up with Lorelai, she was happier than she had been since the snow. She couldn't wait until Saturday.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Emma walked to ninth period with Alex for the rest of the week. On Friday, he met her after that class as well. "Oh, hi Alex," Emma said as she met him outside her art class. She hoped she didn't have paint on her.

"Hello. Ready for tomorrow?"

"Sort of. My dress isn't ready yet, I'm going to my grandma's house after school so she can finish it."

"Cool." He didn't seem to think it was the least bit strange that Emma's grandmother was making her dress. "How soon does your bus leave?" he asked.

"I have a few minutes."

"Stop at my locker?"

"Sure."

Alex stopped as they walked up to his locker. He put Emma's backpack down so he could open it. He put in the combination and opened it. He got his backpack out and threw it over his shoulder. He picked up Emma's bag again by the handle on the top.

"I can get that," Emma said, indicating her bag. He didn't need to be carrying her backpack and his own.

"I got it," he said. Emma threw on her jacket as they walked outside to where the busses waited. "Which way's your bus?" Alex asked.

"That way," Emma pointed to the right.  
"Oh mine's the other way," Alex said, looking a little disappointed.

"Can I have my bag back then?" Emma asked.

"Yea," Alex said with a smile. He handed Emma her backpack. She swung it over her shoulder.

"See ya tomorrow," Emma said.

"Yea. Six-thirty?"

"Sounds good." Emma walked away from Alex and got on the bus to Star's Hollow.

On the bus, Emma realized something. She was actually getting used to Alex being around. She was getting used to him carrying her books and meeting her after classes. She liked it, too. She actually wanted to go to this dance with him. She wanted to do other things with him.

Emma got to Star's Hollow and went right to Lorelai's house. She had told Emma that she'd be home from work by the time Emma got there. She walked in instead of ringing the bell. The door was unlocked, and she knew Lorelai wouldn't have wanted her to bother ringing. Lorelai was in the living room working on Emma's dress. She looked up and saw Emma.

"Hi, Emma. Hold on, just let me pin this… Okay. Hi."

Emma smiled. "Hi Lorelai."

"So how's Alex?" Lorelai asked in an almost mocking voice.

"He's good."

"Okay. Come look at this, tell me how you like it."

Emma walked over to her dress. It was pretty. The fabric was light blue and flowing, and a little sparkly along the bottom and the sides. There was a pale purple butterfly sewn on to the bottom corner of the skirt, which was long. The straps were thin, but Lorelai had made a little jacket that went on over top of the dress. It was purple, the exact same shade as the butterfly. "It's so pretty!" Emma said. "I love the butterfly."

"I thought you would," Lorelai said. "Now you have to put it on so we can finish adjusting it."

"With pleasure."

"Watch the pins."

Emma pulled the dress on carefully. Lorelai adjusted it so that it fit Emma perfectly. Emma modeled the dress one last time before Lorelai had to make the adjustments permanent. "It's so pretty," she said, turning her hips from side to side so the dress sort of spun. "I love it! It's so much nicer than anything I could have bought."

"Glad you like it, kid. Can I have it back now so I can sew it together?"

"I guess so. Hmm, that means I have to take it off," Emma pouted.

"After I sew it together, you won't ever have to take it off again if you don't want to."

"Good. I just might take you up on that offer."

"Although, don't be surprised if you get a few comments. People might wonder if you wear such a pretty dress to school, to a Burger King, or to a football game, you get the point. Especially if you wear the same one every day."

"True. Maybe I'll just wear it tomorrow night."

"Wise choice." Lorelai went upstairs to her room and sat at her sewing machine. Emma followed her and watched her in silence, as if it was the single most important thing she had ever seen. Lorelai turned the fabric with such precision and accuracy, Emma had never seen her do anything so well. "How about one final modeling session?" Lorelai asked as she sewed the last seam. "Just to make sure everything's good."

"I'm sure it will be, but I'll put it on again," Emma said smiling, at that moment there was nothing she'd rather do. She put the dress on and walked back into the room, smiling like never before.

"Very nice," Lorelai said, also smiling. "I think I did well, don't you?"

"Wonderfully."

"How are you going to do your hair?"

"I don't know, probably up. I'll probably let Mom or Sophia do it, they're both pretty good."

"Good, good. Well, I like it," Lorelai said with finality.

"Do I have to take it off now?"

"Yea, probably not a bad idea. You don't want it to be wrinkled or anything for tomorrow."

Emma didn't really want to take it off, it was so pretty. She started to leave the room, but Lorelai stopped her.

"Wait! No, come back! Don't take it off, wait here," Lorelai indicated her bed, and Emma sat on it. Lorelai left the room for a moment, and when she came back she was carrying a small box.

Emma recognized it immediately as a jewelry box. "Lorelai, the dress was more than enough, really. Don't give me anything else."

"It isn't from me," Lorelai said, as she gave Emma the box.

"Then who's it from?"

"It's from Luke."

Realizing that that probably meant it couldn't be jewelry, Emma opened the box. "They're so pretty!" Emma said, looking at a beautiful pair of earrings. They were small light blue heart-shaped stones with one silver chain hanging off of each earring. There was a silver butterfly with two tiny blue stones on each wing hanging from the chain. The blue stones sparkled in the light, and even the silver parts seemed to sparkle. "Luke bought me earrings?"

"Yea, he did."

"Why?"

"He heard me talking about the dance, and he saw me making most of the dress, so he wanted to do something for you. You're his only granddaughter."

Emma was touched. She didn't even know Luke that well. Maybe she'd have to change that. "So, Luke bought me earrings? Where did he get them?"

"The jewelry store in the mall. The one on the top floor."

"Luke went to the mall?" Emma couldn't see Luke in a mall, particularly at a jewelry store.

"Well, Luke's credit card went to the mall."

"Ah. The truth comes out. Was Luke's credit card riding in Lorelai's purse?"

"Maybe? Yes. But what can I say? It likes it in there. It's its favorite place to hang out."

"So Lorelai bought me earrings with Luke's credit card."

"Sort of. It was his idea though, I swear. Seriously though, I couldn't have let Luke pick out earrings for you, even if he had wanted to. It was his idea to get earrings. He said he liked them too, he said they looked like something you'd like."

"Butterflies. You know me entirely too well. Even Luke apparently knows me entirely too well."

"Well, what can I say? Oh, one more thing." Lorelai got a small rectangular wrapped present out of her jacket pocket.

"Who's this from?"

"Sookie."

Emma opened it before she could argue that Sookie really shouldn't have gotten her anything. She pulled it out of the wrapping gently. "A disposable camera. She's so sweet."

"I know. I think she was trying to tell you to take pictures."

"I will, I already promised both of you I would."

"Well, now you have no excuse not to."

"I'll take the pictures to one of those two hour places and have them developed so that you can look at them when I come over on Sunday."

"Perfect. Catering to our impatience, I love it."

"I think I'd better go take off the dress now," said Emma, not wanting it to get messed up in any way for the next night.

"Probably a good idea."

Emma met Lorelai downstairs a few minutes later. Emma didn't really have any reason to stay at Lorelai's, but she didn't really have any reason to go home either. "Hey, let's go to Luke's. I'm kind of hungry and I want to thank Luke for the earrings," she told Lorelai.

"Okay. Let's go."

Lorelai and Emma talked lightly, mostly about Emma's dance, as they walked down to Luke's. They walked in and sat at a table near the window. Luke came over to serve them almost immediately. "Hi, Emma," he said in an almost bored tone of voice, although Emma could tell by his eyes that he was happy to see her. "What'll you guys have?"

"Coffee and a cheeseburger with fries," Lorelai said immediately.

"Okay, how about you, Emma?"

"Um, how about the chicken fingers and fries?"

"No coffee?" Luke looked astonished, but pleased.

Lorelai looked disappointed. "Emma, you don't come to Luke's and not order coffee. You just don't do it. Never, I don't care when it is or why, when you're at Luke's you order coffee." She said all of this in the tone of a mother talking sternly to her young daughter about something she had done wrong. "Luke, add a cup of coffee to Emma's order."

Luke looked apologetic as he said, "Emma, if you don't want coffee, you don't have to get it. You don't have to be like Lorelai."

"No, that's fine, I love coffee. I just never thought about ordering it at four thirty in the afternoon."

"Where have I been all of these years? I should have at least made sure you were getting your daily amount of caffeine, no matter what my agreement was with your mom. I'm a failure as a grandmother," she said with a sarcastic air. "Okay Emma, never forget this: you drink coffee whenever the opportunity is presented, whether it's in the morning, the afternoon, the evening, or at midnight, especially if you are at Luke's."

Luke put in his two cents automatically. He didn't seem to care if anyone heard him or if anyone cared about what he had to say. "Coffee is not healthy. You don't have to drink coffee, no matter what Lorelai says. One cup of coffee a day is plenty for anyone. It might be too late for Lorelai, but it isn't for you, Emma."

"Better bring me the coffee, Luke" Emma said, smiling apologetically. She did want the coffee, and she wanted to make Lorelai happy, but she also wanted to make Luke happy. There was no way she could have done all of it just then.

"Oh, fine," said Luke, looking frustrated, but giving up. He returned a few moments later with their food and coffee.

"Thanks, Luke," Emma said with a smile as he set the food down. "Oh, and thanks so much for the earrings, I love them!"

"Really? Good. I wanted to get you something, you know, so…"

"They're perfect. I love them."

"Lorelai picked them."

"I know, but it was your idea. It was sweet. It was perfect," Emma said yet again. She got up and gave her grandfather a hug before he could walk away.

Luke looked uncomfortable, but at the same time, pleased. "Okay, I should go serve…" he trailed off.

"See ya," Emma said, dismissing him.

"Listen, have fun at your dance, okay?" he said a little uncomfortably, as if it was a foreign thing for him to say, yet it seemed of absolute importance to him.

"I intend to," Emma said, smiling. She really did like Luke, even if he was a little anti-social at times. He was certainly growing on her, and she hoped they could both continue to get to know each other better.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Emma woke up on Saturday morning feeling completely ready for the dance. The only problem in her mind was that Alex wasn't picking her up until six-thirty that night. Emma didn't know what time it was, but she knew it wasn't six-thirty. She rolled over to look at the small purple clock on her nightstand. She groaned. It was only nine o' clock. She glanced over at her closet and smiled. Her dress was hanging on her closet door, looking as perfect as she had remembered it.

As she lay in her bed, not wanting to get up, Emma planned in her mind exactly what she would wear. Her dress of course, and the earrings Luke had given her. Just thinking about the earrings made her smile as she stared at her ceiling. She still didn't know what other jewelry she would wear, though. She knew she wanted to wear a necklace and a bracelet, but she didn't know which ones. She had a lot of jewelry, it was sort of her thing. Going through all of her jewelry in her mind, she couldn't think of the right necklace or bracelet to wear with the dress and the earrings. It had to be the perfect combination, and she didn't know what that was.

She had a silver ring with blue turquoise forming the wings of a butterfly. It was just sparkly enough in certain lights to suit Emma perfectly. The color would go perfectly with her dress, too. She almost always wore the ring on the index finger of her left hand. She didn't like wearing rings on her ring fingers very much, especially on her left hand. She knew it was weird, but she wanted the first ring she really wore on her ring finger of her left hand to be her engagement ring. She knew that realistically it was a long time away, but it was just a weird thing with her.

The necklace and bracelet were really stumping her, though. She couldn't think of anything that would go with her dress, earrings, and ring. Her blue necklace with the big butterfly on the end was too dark of a color, and the butterfly was bent so that it didn't look right anyway. Her silver chain with the pink heart charm was too short for the cut of the dress's neckline, and there wasn't any pink in her dress. She really only had a few bracelets, most from when she was younger. Some were bent, and some were plastic and very little-kid-ish. The one bracelet she liked was pretty plain. It was gold with a sparkle to it in just the right light. It was pretty, but everything else she was wearing was silver, and she didn't think it would look right.

At a loss for things to do or think about, Emma got up. She put on a cute pair of sweat pants and one of her favorite t-shirts. She went downstairs to see what Sophia had made for breakfast.

Emma found a plate of chocolate chip muffins on the table, one of her all time favorite breakfast foods. She went into their big kitchen to find Sophia and get a cup of coffee. Sophia was chopping something that Emma could only assume would be part of their dinner that night. Emma though that her family was lucky. They had a maid and a cook in the same person. She had also served as a nanny when Emma had been younger. Emma loved Sophia's cooking.

"Hi, Sophia."

"Emma!" Sophia said in her light Italian accent. She always seemed excited to see Emma. "What would you like for breakfast? We have chocolate chip muffins in the dining room, I know you like those!"

"Yes, I like them very much. But first I need some coffee."

"Coffee! Yes, good. Not a problem." Sophia poured Emma a big mug of hot coffee. It was Emma's favorite mug. Not surprisingly, it was pale blue with a big purple butterfly on it. "Here you go, now go eat your muffins." Sophia said this last part as if it were a command.

"Any time."

Sophia came and sat beside Emma a few moments later. She sometimes did that when she was running ahead of schedule for the day. She liked to talk to Emma while she ate breakfast. "So, I hear you have a dance tonight," Sophia said. Emma loved Sophia's voice. It was high-pitched, but not annoying. She had a very light accent. She was born in Italy, but had lived in the United States for most of her life. She was in her fifties, a little more than ten years older than Emma's mother.

"Oh, yea," Emma said. "It should definitely be fun."

"Oh, yes. You will have fun. Your first date," Sophia said reminiscently, with the air of a mother who was about to say "My baby's growing up so fast." Sophia didn't say that, although Emma guessed she was thinking it. Sophia had been like a grandmother figure to Emma before she had met her real grandmother.

Emma just smiled. She didn't really have anything more to say about it.

"So, how are you wearing you hair?"

Emma hadn't given it much thought. "Oh, I don't really know."

"I could do it if you want me to. I can make it look very nice for you."

"I'm sure you can. Okay, you can do it. I was thinking of wearing it up, maybe some kind of fancy twisty-thing." Emma's hair vocabulary wasn't particularly amazing.

"Okay. When do you want me to do it?"

"Well, Alex is picking me up at six-thirty."

"Okay, be ready for me at five in case it takes longer than I would guess."

"Sounds good."

"Yes, sounds good." Emma smiled. She thought it was funny how sometimes Sophia would repeat what somebody else had just said. She thought it made her come off more American-sounding, but in reality it just made her sound more foreign. Sophia went back into the kitchen.

Emma mostly just killed time until lunch. She hung out in her bedroom, listening to her favorite CDs, doing her nails, reading and looking in vain through her jewelry. She went downstairs around noon and found her mother in the living room watching TV, looking totally out of her element.

"Mom?" Emma asked, trying to bring her mother back from a world she didn't belong in, the world of Saturday afternoon soap operas.

"Oh, hi Emma. Ready to go?"

"Yea, I am. Are you ready, or do you want to wait and see what happens next?" Emma said sarcastically.

"Oh, be quiet," Rory said playfully. "I was just waiting for you. I didn't want to take another call."

"Good. You actually thought of that for once, very good."

"Yea, well, I'm learning."

"I know you are. So, where are we going? I told you that you could pick."

"Well, what do you feel like eating?"

"I'm not particular. Your choice."

"Let's go for pizza. There's a really good place in that strip mall near our DAR headquarters. I went there a few times when we had meetings around lunch time."

"No DAR stops. No exceptions."

"I know, I know. I promise, just us."

"Okay, but just so we're clear, I'm bringing my cell phone. You want to make a quick stop at the headquarters, and suddenly a good portion of the town of Star's Hollow will have found their way into the pizza joint."

"Strangely, I believe that. I've never underestimated you or the oddity of Star's Hollow."

"Well then, let's go," Emma said.

Emma and Rory sat across from each other in the pizza place fifteen minutes later, with a big pepperoni pizza between them. Rory had a few questions for Emma on the night of the big dance.

"So, his name's Alex, right?"

"Yep."

"Is he cute?" Rory smiled.

"That is such a mothery thing to say."

"Well kid, I'm your mother. Get used to it." She was still smiling.

"I think so," was all Emma said.

"Does he drive?"

"I don't think so, he's my age. He probably just has a permit."

"How is he picking you up, then? Will one of his parents be in the car with you?"

"I don't know, I guess so."

"I'll let it go for now," Rory said. Emma was happy with that, apparently Rory had sensed that she wasn't in the mood for an interrogation.

"Good." Emma and Rory sat in silence for a moment, but then Emma broke it, remembering why she had wanted to do what they were doing. "Okay, my turn," she said. "I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

"Okay, but you can't respond automatically. You have to actually give this some thought. Answer one hundred percent honestly. If you can do that, I promise I will ask no further questions."

"You must be a good journalist."

"I've written some decent pieces. Don't change the subject, though."

"Okay, okay, fine. Go ahead, ask."

"Do you," Emma spoke carefully, "and answer honestly, do you think that you and Lorelai could ever reconcile? Do not say it's been too long, that's a new condition."

Rory was silent for a moment. Emma could tell she was really thinking about it, which was exactly what she wanted. Eventually, Rory spoke slowly and carefully, much like Emma had. "Yes," she said simply.

They sat in silence for another moment. "Good," Emma said, her expression serious. "Okay, no further questions," she said in a satisfied voice.

"So, do you know what jewelry your wearing tonight, or how you're doing you hair?" Rory asked, changing the subject.  
"Hmm, sort of," Emma said. "Did I show you the earrings Luke bought me?"

"Luke bought you earrings?" Rory sounded surprised.

"Yea, he did," Emma was smiling. "Well, Lorelai picked them out, but it sounds like it was his idea."

"That's sweet. Are they pretty?"

"Oh, yea. I love them."

"I figured. Lorelai usually has pretty good taste in jewelry."

"She does," said Emma. It sounded strange to Emma to hear her mother call her grandmother "Lorelai," but to Emma, "Mom" would have sounded stranger.

"So what else?"

"Well, I'm going to have Sophia do my hair, some kind of up-thing. She's pretty good with hair."

"Yes, that's a good idea. She'll do a good job."

"I don't know what necklace I'm going to wear, or what bracelet, though. Nothing I have seems to go with anything else."

Rory dug a small box out of her purse. "Look at this," she said.

Emma opened the box and pulled out a necklace. It was a silver chain with small, pale blue beads spaced evenly across it. They were held in place so that they wouldn't all slide together when someone had the necklace on. The chain itself was sparkly when held in just the right light. "Pretty!" Emma said.

"You can wear it tonight if you want. I bought it years ago, and I think I only wore it once or twice. It looks like it would go well with your dress though, doesn't it?"

"Yea, it does. I have to try it on, but it looks perfect."

"Glad I could be of service." Rory smiled at her daughter.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

It was only four thirty, but Emma didn't think she could wait any longer. She sat on her bed, staring at her dress. She didn't want to just put it on, it seemed like the moment was more special than that. She was about to go to her first dance with her first boyfriend. It was a moment, she felt like she should do something special, something almost ceremonious. She didn't know what, though. It was a dress, but a perfect dress. She felt like there should be camera crews televising the event: Emma Huntzburger's first dance. She smiled at the quantity of insanity in her own mind. She sighed and walked over to the dress, ready to abandon all of her own insane thoughts and just put the thing on.

She stood in front of her closet, just staring at it. It was so beautiful. She felt like it was too pretty to be worn. She touched the sleeve of the little purple jacket gingerly, as if it would rip at any moment. Realizing she was being insane, she took the dress off of her closet door.

She set the dress on her bed and glanced around her room aimlessly. Her eyes rested on her phone. She went over to it and picked it up, dialing the number her fingers seemed to automatically dial.

"Hello?" a voice said on the other end. Emma was becoming increasingly fond of the voice; it was starting to become one of her favorite sounds.

"I'm putting on your dress as we speak," Emma said, holding the phone between her shoulder and her ear while taking the jacket off of the hanger.

"Good," Lorelai said. "Are you excited?"

"I was excited yesterday. I still have to wait two hours! I don't think it would take me that long to get ready if I had to stop and have an hour long conversation with the president of the United States."

"You'd be surprised. By the time you stop and do your hair, fix your makeup, and put on all of your jewelry perfectly, it can take a little bit of time." Emma could hear Lorelai smiling on the other end.

"I know, I just wish it was about two hours later than it is."

"It'll come faster than you think. Are you taking pictures?"

"Not yet, I don't even have the dress on yet."

"Well, get it on, and take pictures!"

"Dirty!"

"You are a true Gilmore."

Emma laughed, envisioning Lorelai's face as she said that last sentence. "I'll take pictures as soon as I'm ready."

"That's not good enough. Get someone to take pictures as your getting ready, I want to see everything!"

"I'll make Sophia take pictures while she's doing my hair. Will that be sufficient?"

"Well, maybe. Take a lot."

"I know, I will."

"Okay, now put the phone down and put on the dress. You can pick up the phone and talk to me again when you have the dress on."

"Okay, talk to you in a sec," Emma said, setting down the phone. She smiled at how strange it was to put down the phone, get dressed, and pick it back up. Emma lifted her dress up with care, as if it were the most sacred thing she had ever touched. She unzipped it in the back and pulled it on. She tried to pull the zipper up, but couldn't quite reach it. She picked up the phone again to talk to Lorelai. "I can't reach the zipper!" she said, a little frustrated.

"Well, sorry kid, but I don't think I'm going to be a whole lot of help with that."

"Oh yea," Emma said. "You're on the… phone," she said slowly, as if only just realizing it. "Never mind, I got it," she said, getting her fingers around the zipper and pulling it up. "Okay, got it." She looked at herself in her dresser mirror. "It's so pretty, Lorelai! I love it so much!"

Lorelai laughed a little. "Thanks, Emma. What are you doing now?"

"Well, I'm sitting on my bed. Sophia's coming in to do my hair in like twenty minutes or so, so I have a little bit of time."

"Good." Lorelai and Emma talked a little more about the dance and other things, and then Emma heard someone knock on her door. "Is that the door?" Lorelai asked.

"Yea, it's probably Sophia," Emma said, walking over to her door and pulling it open.

"Emma! You ready for me?" Sophia asked. Emma laughed, she loved how Sophia always looked pleasantly surprised to see Emma, even when she went up to her room for her. She was carrying a pink case full of all kinds of things that could be used for your hair; scrunchies, clips, hair ties, hair spray, you name it.

"Yea, I'm ready Sophia. One sec."

"Who are you talking to?" Sophia asked, noticing the phone Emma held between her shoulder and her ear.

"Lorelai, uh, my grandma." Emma said, not sure Sophia would know who Lorelai was by the name alone.

"Oh," she said. It didn't really seem to mean anything to her.

"Okay, I have to go now, Sophia's here."

"I noticed," Lorelai said, in a voice that Emma knew meant she thought that whole last exchange had been funny. "But before you go, there are three things you need to remember."

"What?" Emma said, smiling, yet not sure what Lorelai was going to say.

"Take pictures, have fun, and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Emma laughed. "Okay. What wouldn't you do?"

"Nothing. Have fun."

"I'm sure I will."

"Okay, bye kid."

"Bye Lorelai. See you tomorrow."

"That you will." With that, they both hung up.

"Okay Sophia, I'm ready."

"Good! Sit down."

"Wait," Emma said. "Take a picture of me first." She went over to her desk and picked up the camera that Sookie had given her. She handed it to Sophia.

"Take a picture? But why? You aren't even ready yet."

"Lorelai wants pictures of me while I'm getting ready. She says she wants to see everything."

"Okay," Sophia said. She snapped a picture of Emma standing beside her bed in her dress. "There you go," she said as she handed the camera back to Emma.

"Thanks."

"Now sit down."

"Where?"

Sophia pulled the chair out from in front of Emma's desk and put it in the middle of the room. "Here," she said.

Emma put the camera down on her bed and sat down obediently. Sophia took out Emma's metallic purple brush and started to brush her hair. She brushed it, and then started playing with it, taking sections and moving them around. Emma didn't know exactly what she was doing at any given moment, but she trusted that Sophia would make it look nice.

"Can I see?" Emma said at one point, wanting to know where her hair was going.

"Not now," Sophia said. "You can see when it's done."

"Okay…" Emma said. "What are you doing?"

"It's a surprise. You'll like it, I promise you."

"I don't like surprises."

"You should. Surprises are fun."

"Have you been talking to Lorelai?"

"Lorelai?" Sophia sounded confused, although she was behind her, so Emma couldn't see her face. "Your grandmother? No, why?"

"Never mind."

"Okay. Never mind."

A few minutes later, Emma realized the camera on her bed behind her. "Take another picture," she said.

"But it's not done yet."

"Lorelai wants pictures before it's done. Just take it. Camera's on my bed."

"But I don't want you to see it until it's done."

"I won't be able to see it if you take a picture, not until the pictures are developed."

"When are the pictures developed?"

Emma laughed at the way Sophia phrased that last question. "I'll get them developed tomorrow."

"Okay." As if that settled it, Sophia picked the camera up off of Emma's bed and took a picture of her.

"Thanks. Just put the camera back on my bed."

Sophia put the camera down and continued to work on Emma's hair, expertly taking sections and clipping them into the exact place where she wanted them. Emma didn't know what Sophia was doing, but it certainly seemed like Sophia did.

When Sophia finished with Emma's hair, she took a picture. Emma smiled; Sophia must have grasped the idea of taking a picture every step of the way. She put the camera back on Emma's bed, but instead of letting Emma look at it like Emma had expected, she took Emma's makeup off of her dresser and started putting it on her. Emma didn't complain or even say anything, she knew that Sophia was better with makeup than she was. When she was finished, she stopped and set everything down. She took another picture and then said, "There. Look," she gestured toward the mirror over Emma's dresser, smiling.

Emma stood up and walked over to her mirror. "Wow," she said. "I love it."

Her hair was woven in some intricate design on top of her head. A few strands hang down in the front in perfect ringlets. Sophia had put glitter hairspray on it, so it sort of sparkled. Her lip gloss was a shiny dark pink.

"Good," Sophia said, smiling her usual big smile. "Now, I'm going to go downstairs. Come down when you are finished getting ready."

"Okay."

Sophia left the room and Emma was left staring at herself in the mirror. She carefully picked up the earrings that Luke bought her. They were sitting in a box on Emma's dresser. Emma put them on, and smiled at how well they went with the dress and even with the hairstyle. Emma hadn't known that jewelry could go with a hairstyle, but somehow, everything looked perfect. She put on the necklace her mom had given her and the blue butterfly ring. She put the purple jacket on and played with one of her curls, twisting it around her finger.

She looked at her clock. It was just after six. Not having anything else to do, Emma went downstairs. She was met by her entire family sitting in the living room. Emma was amazed, her family just didn't sit in the living room like that. Sophia was always doing something, her mom was always making calls or doing something else, and her dad tended to be in his study, constantly working. But there they were, all three of them. Emma smiled. She didn't really mean to, actually she had planned on coming downstairs looking serious, like a moody supermodel or something. She realized it was probably a stupid idea, but it sounded like fun. At that point though, seeing all three of them sitting in the living room watching her and smiling, she couldn't have pulled off the serious thing if she tried, which she did. Her mouth just twisted in odd ways, trying to get to a smile. Emma stopped trying to fight it and just let herself smile.

Emma stopped about halfway down the stairs. "Sophia, come here," she said, loudly enough for Sophia to hear. Sophia came up to where Emma was on the stairs, and Emma handed her the camera. "You know what to do."

Sophia went back to the bottom of the stairs, and took a few more pictures as Emma finished walking down. She met Emma at the bottom of the stairs with the camera. "Thank you," Emma said, still grinning.

"You look beautiful, honey," Emma's mother said. "Like a movie star."

"Mom, that's so cheesy," Emma said, although she was still smiling.

"I know. That's what Sookie told me when I went to my winter formal. She told me to walk down a flight of stairs at some point, because movie stars always walk down flights of stairs. I'm still not sure what she meant exactly, but you already walked down a flight of stairs, so I guess you're good."

"I guess," said Emma, amused. "Besides, I'm wearing heels. If I walk down any more flights of stairs, I might end up falling on my face."

"That's my girly girl."

"Yea, well, you know."

"You look nice, sweetie," Emma's father said. He smiled.

"Thanks Dad."

Emma sat down in her favorite chair in the living room.

"So when's Alex coming?" Rory asked.

"Six thirty."

"That's pretty soon."

"Yep."

"Is he coming in?"

"I guess, at least for a minute."

"Good, I kind of want to meet him."

"So do I," Logan said.

"Yes, so do I," Sophia said.

"Okay, but you guys have to be nice. Don't hammer him with a million questions." Emma looked at her father.

"What? Why are you looking at me? When have I ever done that to one of your boyfriends, Em?" Logan said, smiling.

"When have I ever had a boyfriend?"

"Well, that's a good point," he said. "I promise I won't," he said in a bored way.

"Good."

"So what's this guy's name? Alex?"

"Yep, Alex. He's nice. You should all like him."

"Good," Logan said. "Because if we don't, you're staying here," he said playfully.

"Ha, ha," Emma said.

"So what's this guy like? Does he drink?"

"Oh yea," Emma said. "Like a fish."

Rory looked at her strangely for a moment, and then her expression went back to normal, leaving Emma wondering if she'd imagined it.

"Really?" Logan asked. He looked interested rather than angry.

"No, Dad. If he did, I wouldn't be going out with him."

"Well then what fun is he?" Logan asked, a little sarcastically, but not completely.

"Dad," Emma said, exasperated, rolling her eyes a little.

"Logan, be good," Rory said, raising her eyebrows at her husband.

"Sorry, Ace," Logan said with a little half smile.

A few minutes of playful conversation later, the doorbell rang. Sophia got up automatically, but Emma stopped her. "No, I got it," she said. "He's my boyfriend, I don't want him to get greeted by the maid, it might freak him out a little." Emma glanced at Sophia. "No offense," she added.

"No offense," Sophia repeated, smiling.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Emma walked up to the door, holding her breath. She knew there was really no reason to be nervous, she knew Alex pretty well now, and she knew what she was going to see when she opened the door. There were going to be no surprises, just as Emma liked. She knew everything that was going to happen throughout most of the night, at least she thought she did, yet somehow, she was still nervous.

Finally Emma opened the door, not really wanting to keep Alex waiting. She pulled it open, and behind it was Alex. He looked exactly as she knew he would. There hadn't been a major transformation like in some of the sappy older movies Emma had seen, it was just Alex standing in front of Emma's door. He was dressed up, but honestly he didn't look that much different than he did at school. Emma smiled at seeing him. "Hi Alex," she said.

"Hi Emma." Alex was smiling as well, but it wasn't an ordinary "happy to see you" smile like Emma's. He almost looked amused, although at first Emma didn't know why. "I never thought I'd see you in a dress," he said, clearing up his expression. "You look really nice."

"Thanks," Emma said, smiling with a little half-laugh. She stepped back and indicated that Alex should come in. "This won't take long, I promise," Emma said, smiling apologetically. "Follow me."

Alex followed Emma into her living room obediently, where they were greeted by Rory, Logan and Sophia, who were all still sitting in the room exactly as they were when Emma had left. "Okay," Emma said, "Everybody, Alex, Alex, everybody." She didn't really want to bother with formal introductions, she didn't like them, they were cliché and annoying. She figured she had better get more specific to speed the process along. "There's my mom, my dad, and Sophia. Sophia's our maid, cook, and does pretty much whatever else she feels like doing for us. She's been here longer than I have, so she's pretty much a big part of our family."

"Hi everybody," Alex said.

"Hi Alex," Rory said. "So guys, have fun, be home by twelve," Rory said, being nice by trying to get them out of the living room and to their dance.

"Wait a sec Ace, we've hardly even talked to them yet," Logan said. "So Alex," he said, more for the fun of abusing Emma than anything else, "Why don't you sit down for awhile, have a beer?"

"Oh no, I don't drink," Alex said quickly and a little nervously.

"Well, that's what Emma told us, but I don't think I believe her. How much fun would that be?"

Alex looked confused and nervous, not at all sure of what to say. Rory saved him with a simple, "He's joking, Alex. You guys go, have fun."

"Have fun!" Sophia said, with the same sentiment at Rory.

"Bye guys," Logan said. "Don't do anything funny in the backseat!"

"_Bye Dad_, Emma said firmly, pulling Alex out of the room. "He can be a little annoying at times," she said quietly to Alex, who laughed.

Emma and Alex walked together out to Emma's driveway, where there was a black limousine waiting for them. Emma stood there for a moment in awe. One thing stood out in her mind. She knew Alex's family didn't have that much money, and she didn't find it rude to say, "Can you afford this?"

"Well, no," Alex said. "But I didn't have to. My uncle owns a limousine rental shop, so I just had to call him and beg a little. I got it for free."

"That's so cool." Emma had never been in a limo before. Her dad had one that he used mostly for business, but Emma had never even seen the inside. He had offered to let Emma ride in it a few times when she was younger, but her mother had never really liked the idea. She wanted Emma to wait for a special occasion to ride in a limo, like most everybody else. Thinking back, Emma figured that this counted as a special occasion.

The driver opened the door, and Alex indicated to Emma to get in. She slid in, and Alex followed her. Apparently the driver knew where to go, because the car started moving a moment after they had gotten in. Emma looked out the window a little as she talked to Alex, and the drive looked increasingly familiar. "Where is this dance anyway?" she asked Alex, realizing that she had never found out.

"Some old historic building. It's supposed to be really pretty. I think it used to be an inn years ago, but a lot of it got destroyed in a fire. They changed it into a school or something for awhile, but I guess that didn't work out too well, so now they use it for dances and other things like that. I think it's called the Independence Hall.

"Owner thought he was being funny?"

"I guess."

"Well, that sounds really nice," Emma said. "Where is it?"

"It's in some little town outside Hartford."

"That should be nice."

"Yea, it should. I think it's about twenty minutes away."

"That's about ten minutes now," Emma said.

"Yep."

As they neared the hall, Emma started to recognize things that they passed. "Hey, I know where we are! We're in Star's Hollow, this is the town where my grandma lives."

"Really? That's cool." Alex said.

"Yea, it is," Emma said. "Actually this is a really cool little town. It's really pretty, and literally everyone knows everyone else. I love it."

"So how much time have you spent here, a lot?"

"Yea, quite a bit. I usually visit my grandma about once a week. So I've definitely been here a few times."

"I guess you're pretty close to your grandmother then?"

"Oh yea. She's really great. You should meet her sometime."

"I'm sure I will."

"Yea."

The limo pulled up to the Independence Hall just a few moments later. "I guess this is it," Emma said as the limo stopped.

"Yea, I guess it is," Alex said. The driver got out and opened the door for them. "Thanks Joe," Alex said as he got out.

Emma thought that was funny. "Joe?" she laughed. "You know the driver by name?"

"I've known him since I was four," Alex said as if it was the simplest thing in the world, and he didn't know why Emma found it funny.

At this, Emma just laughed harder. She was still laughing as she slid out of the limo, and she didn't notice her dress getting caught on something in the door. She started to walk away, and the dress ripped. Emma immediately stopped laughing. "Shoot! My dress!" she said, visibly upset. The rip wasn't bad, it just went up the seam, but it was big enough to notice.

"That doesn't look hard to fix," Alex said. "Do you have a sewing kit or something?"

"Me? No," Emma said, as if it was common sense. "Sewing hates me. Me carrying a needle would be a hazard to the world as a whole."

"Okay, no sewing kit. Well, didn't your grandma make your dress? If we're in her town, I can get Joe to take us to her house."

"You don't have to, we can walk."

"Big rip up the side of your dress. Probably not a good idea."

"Good point. Okay, back in the limo," Emma said, exasperated. "We're never going to get to the dance at this rate."

"We'll get there. Besides, you wanted me to meet your grandma, now I can."

"Oh yea, I guess you can," Emma realized, suddenly happy again. She immediately started preparing Alex to meet Lorelai. "She's really great, but she's not what you'll be expecting. She's not old. I mean, she doesn't seem old at all. She had my mom when she was sixteen, so I guess she's not that old. Just call her Lorelai, that's what I call her, she'll like that."

"Lorelai. Okay, got it. I like that name."

"It's my mom's name too. And my middle name. It's kind of a family thing I guess."

"Sounds like it."

"Stop here, Jim." Emma told the driver.

"Yes ma'am." Jim said. He pulled into Lorelai's driveway and stopped.

He got out and opened the door for Emma and Alex again. Alex got out and then Emma did, holding her dress together at the place where it had ripped. Emma and Alex walked together up the sidewalk, and then Emma rang the doorbell. Lorelai came to the door and greeted them.

"Emma! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at your dance!"

"I know, my dress ripped as I was getting out of the car."

Lorelai looked out the door at the limo in the driveway. "Honey, that's not a car. That's a limo." She looked at Alex. "Good choice."

"My uncle owns a limo rental shop," Alex told her.

"You must be Alex," Lorelai said.

"Yep. You must be Lorelai."

"Depends on who's asking."

"Got it."

"Well, I suppose I didn't really need to introduce anyone then," Emma said.

"Nope. Okay, come on in. I'll fix that in a minute and have you guys back to your dance before you know it."

"Sounds good. I'd actually like to get there at some point tonight," Emma said.

"Don't worry about it, you'll be walking through the door in ten minutes. Luke's in the living room, we were watching a movie. Go say hi."

"Okay. We didn't interrupt you guys, did we? I'm sorry if we did."

"No, not a problem. I don't think Luke was enjoying the movie much anyway, chick flick. I'm sure he's happy about it."

"Okay, thanks Lorelai." The three of them walked into the living room, and Lorelai went upstairs.

"Hi, Luke," Emma said.

"Hi, Emma. You look, really nice," Luke said, pausing halfway through the sentence in a very Luke-ish way.

"Thanks!" Emma said. "I love the earrings," she said, gently batting one back and forth with her finger.

"They look really nice on you," Luke said. He wasn't smiling, but Emma could tell he was happy she had stopped, even if only for a short time.

Lorelai called down the stairs, "Emma, come up here! I need the dress!"

"Oh yea," Emma said, running up the stairs, still holding her dress together.

Lorelai sewed up Emma's dress and asked her how it was going so far. Emma told her it was going great. Lorelai told Emma again to take lots of pictures, and surely enough they were walking into the dance ten minutes later.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

About eight minutes later, the limo pulled up in front of the Independence. Emma hadn't noticed before how pretty the building itself was, but it was beautiful. "Hold on a sec, Joe," Alex said to the driver before he could open the door. He took out a small box and handed it to Emma. I almost forgot, but I got this for you."

"Alex Marten, are you proposing to me?" Emma asked before opening the box.

"Just open it, Emma."

She opened the box to find a bracelet. It was very pretty, but fairly simple. It was a silver chain with stones that sparkled and looked multicolored in the light evenly spaced across it. "It's beautiful," Emma said.

"Hold out your wrist, I'll put it on you," Alex said.

Emma held out her right wrist and Alex put the bracelet on it. "You didn't have to get me anything. This is enough," Emma said, motioning around her to indicate the limo and the dance.

"I know. I wanted to, though. It isn't real."

"I don't care. I love it. It's beautiful."

"We should go in now."

"Yea, we should."

Alex rolled down the screen between the backseat and the driver. "We're ready, Joe."

"You know, I think we could have handled opening the door on our own."

"That's okay, it's his job. It's what he gets paid to do."

"But he isn't getting paid."

"Yea, but he doesn't care. He's known me since I was four."

"Whatever," Emma said as she got out of the car, careful this time not to get her dress caught on anything.

Emma and Alex walked up the sidewalk and into the big, historic building. It was as beautiful inside as out. _So it used to be an inn,_ she thought, _like the Dragonfly._ She could see Lorelai working at a place like that.

They walked into the room that the dance was going on in. They danced a little, then stopped and ate dinner. It was all really nice. Emma took pictures of everything: the food, the band, there was a band, not a DJ, the building; she even got random people she sort of knew to take pictures of her and Alex together. She had pictures of them posing, dancing, talking, just about everything you can think of. After another hour or so, they both got bored with the dancing and started wandering around the building.

Whoever owned the place had set up a display about the history of the building. It had the date it was built, and a little bit of information about each owner and what the function of the building had been.

The current owner immediately caught Emma's attention. An older man with a cheesy grin wearing a suit and a bow tie stood looking at them. It was the man she knew as Taylor Doose. "Figures he owns the place," Emma said out loud, pointing to the picture with a laugh.

"Who?" Alex asked, not sure what Emma was talking about.

"Taylor Doose. He owns a lot of random things in Star's Hollow. It seems like he owns over half the town, although I'm not sure he actually does. He's a little town crazy. Actually, he's pretty much just crazy in general. Most of Star's Hollow seems that way."

"Interesting," Alex said, lowering one of his eyebrows to form a strange facial expression.

"You have to get to know the town a little before you'll know exactly what I mean."

"I'll take your word for it."

As Emma further studied the poster, she found that the inn had been owned by many different people. Most of them didn't catch her interest, but one, besides Taylor, did. She was trying to read the display in order, she figured it would make more sense that way, but her gaze kept going to a picture somewhere in the middle. She didn't know why, it was just a picture of an older woman with some information around it, just like all of the other pictures. Eventually Emma gave up on trying to read it in order, and skipped to the one that kept catching her gaze.

It was a picture of an older looking woman with short white-blonde hair. She was very pretty for her age. Looking at the date of birth under the picture, Emma realized that the woman would probably be about the same age as her great grandmother now. The picture must have come from twenty-five plus years ago, because the woman only looked about as old as Lorelai in the picture. The woman's name was Mia. In her haste to read the whole thing, Emma didn't catch the last name. She read the information to the right of the picture. Apparently, Mia had owned and managed the Independence Inn for years. Later in her life, Mia had moved to California. She had kept the property in her ownership, but had left managing it to Lorelai Gilmore.

Emma read the name several times over to verify that it said what she thought it did. She let out a small noise that wouldn't quite qualify as a laugh when she realized who had managed the place, and smiled.

"What?" Alex asked, having heard Emma's reaction to what she had read.

"My grandma used to manage this place, when it was an inn."

"Really?"

"Yea."

"Did you know that?"

"No, not until just now. The only inn I ever knew of her working at was the Dragonfly, that's where she works now. She owns it."

"Well, I guess she started here." Neither Alex nor Emma knew quite how right Alex was.

"Yea, guess so," Emma said, raising her eyebrows. She read the rest of the info, and found that the inn had burned down while under Lorelai's management. "That must have been bad," Emma said, a sympathetic look crossing her face. She turned to Alex, "It burned down when she worked here."

"That doesn't sound good."

" 'Severe damage, nobody hurt'," Emma read aloud. "That's good anyway," she put in. " 'Owner sold it after the fire, unwilling to pay for all renovations necessary.' Looks like she was planning to sell the place anyway, though."

"Then I guess it didn't really matter."

"Guess not. The fire had to lower the value of the place though, huh?"

"Probably."

"Oh, what's this?" Emma said, reading a blurb at the bottom of the info. " 'The original tool shed remains on the property by request of Lorelai Gilmore. It's protected by town bylaw number seven hundred twenty seven.' Wow, that's a lot of bylaws. That's Taylor for you. 'The shed remains in its original state. It hasn't been refurbished, only cleaned occasionally.' Well, we can all thank you for allowing them to clean it, Taylor."

"You do know he can't hear you."

"You'd be surprised. So, I wonder why she wanted to save the tool shed so badly? It sounds like she had to go through a lot of trouble to get them to keep it around."

"Where did you read that?" Alex asked.

"Between the lines. You have to know Taylor."

"Got it. Well, I don't know. It really doesn't say much about it."

"Let's go look."

"At what?"

"The tool shed, it's still on the property. You read it."

"Why? Can we do that?"

"Why not? It's got to be right outside, the property isn't that huge."

"Why do you want to look at a tool shed?"

"I'm not sure, I guess we'll find out. There has to be something interesting about it, otherwise Lorelai wouldn't have cared so much about keeping it around. Trust me, she's sentimental, but not that much. Not about a tool shed anyway. I'm not sure she's ever picked up a hammer."

"Okay. Let's go look."

"That was fairly easy."

"Well, I really don't have any reason not to go see it, I just think you're a little nutty. Now you've caught my interest, so let's go."

"Cool." Emma and Alex walked out the front door, the same way they had come in. "So, tool sheds would usually be around to the back. Let's try that."

"Okay." Emma and Alex walked hand in hand around the building to the property that lay behind it. It was bigger than Emma had thought it would be, but truly beautiful. There was a large pond, or a small lake, depending in the way you looked at it. It was coated in a thin layer of ice. There was a good four inches of snow on the ground, untouched. Snow in itself is beautiful, but this snow was more beautiful than any snow Emma had ever seen. No one had ever stepped on it, and it lay on the ground in its pure white beauty, sparkling in the dim light from the moon and the windows of the inn. This place gave Emma the sense that it was once truly beautiful. It was pretty now, but years ago, she had the sense that it had looked even better. She could only imagine the place as an inn.

The Dragonfly was beautiful, but it was almost a different kind of beautiful. It was a new kind of beautiful, like someone works hard constantly to keep it that way. The Independence had an ancient kind of beauty. It looked as if nobody had tried to make it look that way on purpose, but like it held some natural beauty that could never be taken away. It didn't look as if Taylor had done much at all to the grounds behind the hall. She got the sense that things had been taken away a few years ago, but nothing had been put back to restore it to its full beauty.

As they wandered down the path that ran along the pond, a small shed became visible. This was not the classic definition of a tool shed. It was truly pretty. "Oh, it's pretty," Emma said. She hadn't expected it, it was, after all, a tool shed.

"It sort of is, isn't it?" Alex said.

"Really pretty. I guess Lorelai made it this way." Emma could see Lorelai in her mind decorating the tool shed to make it look, as this one did, like a little cottage. Emma peeked in the window, and saw that the inside was just as unexpectedly nice as the outside. There was actually furniture inside. It was simple furniture, a few kitchen chairs, a bed, and even a bathtub. "It almost looked like someone lived here," Emma said. "I wonder who."

Alex looked in. "Lorelai?" he guessed.

"No. Why would Lorelai have lived here? She has her house. No, that wouldn't make sense."

"Well, why else would she have made it look like this? Why else would she care if they keep it around?"

"I don't know. Maybe she fixed it up for someone else. Maybe someone else fixed it up. I don't know. I'll have to ask her tomorrow."

"You could call her."

"It really isn't that important," Emma said, her face and tone of voice not matching her claim. "Besides, it's getting late and I've already bothered Lorelai and Luke enough tonight."

"I don't think either one of them would mind."

"I'm going to see Lorelai tomorrow anyway. It doesn't matter."

Alex gave up. "Okay. Are we done here?"

"I've seen all I need to see. I don't really want to go back in there though, do you? I mean, if you want to dance some more or something, I would…"

"I'm done." Alex smiled at Emma. They were holding hands again. "I really never liked the whole dancing thing much to begin with, if you didn't notice. I'm not particularly good at it either."

"Well, neither am I. I didn't notice. I'm sure I was worse than you. Dancing's not really my thing."

"Good, mine either. What do we do then? It's too early to go home, it's only ten o' clock. Unless you want to go, I mean."

"No," Emma said quickly. "I'm having a good time. I don't want to go home."

"Good. I don't either. So, what do we do? You know this town better than I do."

"Let's go to Luke's. Get a cup of coffee or something."

"Okay. Think he'll be there?"

"I doubt it. It looked like he left early tonight. Movie night with Lorelai."

"Yea, I saw that. Okay, let's go. Should I call Joe?

"No, we have to walk to get the full Star's Hollow experience. Call Joe later, maybe he can pick us up from Luke's when we're done."

"Okay, then, shall we?"

"Let's shall."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"So, this is the famous Luke's diner," Alex said as he and Emma walked in.

"Yep. The coffee is legendary."

"I know, I've heard all the legends."

"Yea, I guess you have. Well, the burgers are good, too."

"Well, that's something different. Where do we sit?"

"Hmm… Looks like we have our pick. How about that table, by the window?" Emma pointed to a table.

"Sure." Alex pulled out a chair for Emma and sat down in the seat across from her. He looked around, and seeing no one, asked Emma, "Are you sure it's open?"

"Oh yea, Cesar's probably in the kitchen. I'll go get him."

"No, it's okay, we can wait," Alex said.

"Why, I'm hungry. Cesar's a little slow too, it could be hours before he notices anyone's here. I'll just go get him," she said simply, standing up.

"Sit down, I'll go get him."

"He doesn't know you, he knows me. Even in Star's Hollow I think it would be a little weird for an out-of-towner to go in the back to get the waiter… slash cook."

"I'll tell him who I am, or who you are, or something. Come on, it's not much of a date if you have to go get the guy making the food. I should do it, or we shouldn't have to, and since you're hungry, I'll do it. It's not a big deal"

"Fine, just tell him Emma's here, and tell him Lorelai's granddaughter if he doesn't remember me right away by name," said Emma, sitting down again.

"I will. Just give me a sec, I'll be right back."

Alex walked away before Emma could say anything else. She sat at the same table she had sat at the very first time she had come to Luke's, and looked around her, smiling. She really liked Alex, he was really sweet. She loved how he wanted this to seem like a real first date, it was cute. She loved the limo and the walking hand in hand around the Independence property. She even liked the dancing, in very small proportions.

Alex came back to the table a few moments later. "Where's Cesar?" Emma asked when she saw that he was alone.

"He'll be out in a minute."

"Okay." Emma sat quietly at the table, content. She had never thought that her first date would end up at her step-grandfather's diner. She had never thought of it, but it was definitely a good thing. She looked out the diner window. It was the first time she had ever seen Star's Hollow's main street completely deserted. For a small town, there were always a lot of people walking around. She guessed that Star's Hollow's nightlife wasn't exactly hopping. She laughed as she pictured Babette at a night club. _Well, I suppose at one time._

"What?" Alex asked, doing that odd thing with his eyebrows again. Emma could tell he was enjoying watching him. She knew her facial expressions were always interesting, because whether she was talking or not, there was always something going through her head.

"Nothing," she said, smiling. "Just thinking, there isn't much nightlife in this town."

"Okay," Alex said, amused at the randomness of Emma's comment. "Well, I'm sure we can find something to do."

"We are doing something, aren't we? This is something. A very nice something."

Alex just smiled. "Yes, this is definitely something," he said. He had a different sort of look in his eye that Emma couldn't place. It was sweet, but she almost thought it was an "I-know-something-you-don't-know" look. That couldn't be right.

A moment later, Cesar came out. Emma giggled girlishly. He was holding the menus on an oddly fancy-looking tray, which he carried in one arm. In the other hand he carried two candles and a white sheet. He handed Alex the menus and picked up everything from the table: the salt and pepper shakers and the menus that were already on the table, and set them and the candle sticks on the table behind him. He spread the sheet, which was actually a white tablecloth, on the table where Emma and Alex were sitting.

Emma laughed. "Alex, what did you do?" He smiled in a sweet and genuine way, but said nothing. "I didn't even know Luke had tablecloths!" She directed the last sentence at Cesar, who placed the candlesticks on the table, and then placed the salt and pepper shakers between them. He took a match from his apron pocket and lit the candles. Emma laughed again. As fancy as he was attempting to be, it was still Cesar, and they were at a diner. She couldn't get it from her mind that she had sat here with Lorelai eating hamburgers more often than not. She had seen Cesar, near closing time, dancing around the diner with a ketchup stain on his apron. This was the image she had of him and of the diner, and it wasn't going anywhere.

"Your menu, Miss," he said, taking a menu from Alex and handing it to Emma. "Can I start you off with something to drink?"

Emma laughed again at how goofy Cesar sounded, but she didn't stop him. "Coffee please," she said.

"What about you, Sir?" he asked Alex.

"Uh, coffee's good," he said.

"Okay, I'll give you a moment to look over your menus, and I'll be back shortly," he said, the whole thing sounding weird with Cesar's New York accent.

"Thanks," Emma said.

Cesar went back behind the counter to get the coffee, and Emma turned to Alex. "How much did you pay him to do this?"

"Nothing. Just the price of the food plus tip, why?"

"It's just not an ordinary Luke's diner thing, this isn't something they do. Candlesticks and white tablecloths, it's a diner.

"I just asked him, and he seemed fairly happy to do it. He's a good guy."

"Yea, but…" She couldn't think of anything to argue her point. "Where did he find the stuff?"

"How should I know? It was probably lying around somewhere."

"I can tell you don't know Luke very well."

"Well, I don't know. Maybe your grandma made him buy the stuff."

"Now you're thinking like a Gilmore. That's definitely possible."

"What's a Gilmore?"

It dawned on Emma that Gilmore wasn't her last name, so Alex probably wouldn't understand the reference. She knew her last name obviously, but she had gotten used to the idea of the name Gilmore. "Oh, it's my grandma's last name. Never mind."

"Do you know what you're getting to eat? You haven't even looked at your menu," Alex said.

"I don't need to, I come here a lot."

"Okay. What do you suggest?"

"The burgers are good, so are the fries," she said.

Cesar came back a moment later. "What would you like, Miss?" he asked Emma. She couldn't get used to Cesar calling her Miss, but she replied anyway.

"How about a cheeseburger and fries?" she said.

"Very good. And for you?" he asked Alex.

"I'll have the same," he said.

"Okay, it'll be right out."

"This is, strangely, nice," Emma said to Alex as Cesar walked away.

"Yea, it is."

"Thanks. For the whole night. It's great."

"Well, you're welcome, but it isn't over yet."

"I know, but we're probably going to go home after this, right?"

"Only if you want to."

"Well, what else are we going to do?"

"I don't know, I don't know this town. We could wander around a little, you probably know the good spots."

"Well, sort of. I've really only wandered around here with Lorelai, so I don't know that much, but I don't think there's that much to know. We can wander a little a guess."

"If you don't want to, we can go home."

"No, I want to," Emma said more firmly.

"Good, so do I."

A little more than half an hour later, Emma and Alex were walking out of the diner hand in hand. "Where do we go?" Alex asked.

"I'm not sure. This is the town square," she said.

"I think I could have figured that out."

"Well, this is Taylor's Old Fashioned Soda Shoppe," Emma said. "They serve candy and ice cream and stuff like that. Good ice cream, but Taylor tends to drive Luke insane. And vice versa. It's funny, actually."

"Sounds it," Alex said, smiling.

"Here's the video store," Emma said as they passed it. "Kirk works there sometimes, and everywhere else."

"Who's Kirk?"

"Guess you wouldn't know him," Emma said. "He lives here, somewhere. He's, a little, um, well, really he's a bit of a whack job."

"That's good."

"He's funny, though. You really have to meet him to get it."

"Another one of those?"

"Star's Hollow is full of them. Okay, this is Weston's. I've never really been here, but Lorelai says they have good cake. We pretty much always go to Luke's."

"Looks like a nice place."

"Yea, it does. Closed though. I have a feeling not much will be open this late."

"Probably not. This is good though, just walking around."

"Yea. This is good."

"That's the gazebo in the center. Pretty, isn't it?"

"Yea it is."

"I've always thought so. I wish we had this where I live," she said, motioning around her, indicating the whole scene. "All of it. I love it. But we don't, so I borrow Lorelai's town. I love it, it's so much better than Hartford."

"I can tell."

"I want to like, move here. That would be so great. That wouldn't happen though, not any time soon. You've seen our house. Mom and Dad aren't about to downsize and come live in Star's Hollow. It isn't our lifestyle. I kind of wish it was though."

"You have a maid. Most girls would murder for a house like yours. Most guys wouldn't mind it either."

"I know. I love Sophia, she's great. And I guess I like our house, it's okay. We do have a pool, which is nice. I think Adriane likes it more than I do, but it's good. I like this better, though. I think I'm going to move here when I'm older. That would be nice, and I could live near Lorelai and Luke, which would be great."

"Yea, but you wouldn't live near your parents."

"I could live with that. I'd still see them now and then, like I see Lorelai and Luke now."

"I guess so," Alex said.

There was a moment of silence, and Emma continued the tour. "So, this is the movie theatre. It's neat, very old fashioned. Kirk works here, too. Here's JoJo's, I've never eaten here either, but apparently it isn't as good as Luke's. Oh, and Al's Pancake World, best Chinese in Star's Hollow. Their Thai isn't bad either, but I wouldn't touch the Indian. You want Indian food, go to Sandeep's. It's over there," she said, pointing in the direction of the restaurant. "I haven't tried it, but I've heard it's good. Lorelai said it smells bad, though."

"Back up to 'Al's Pancake World'."

"Okay," Emma said, starting to turn around.

"No, not literally." Alex continued walking, and Emma shrugged and trotted a bit to catch up with him. "You said they serve, Chinese? It's a pancake house, isn't it?"

"No, I got confused about that at first too, though. Something like he wanted to serve pancakes, but changed his mind, and he had already printed napkins and business cards and stuff, so he kept the name. So now we have an Al's Pancake World that serves international cuisine."

"Interesting."

"Star's Hollow has a unique charm to it, doesn't it?"

"I guess you could call it that."

"Well um, this is Miss Patty's, it's a dance studio. And after that we're back to Doose's Market, Taylor owns that too, and Luke's."

"Luke's kind of cornered by Taylor, isn't he?"

"Huh, I guess he is," Emma laughed. "No wonder he drives him insane."

"I guess so."

"The high school's over there, and the church," Emma pointed. "And I think that about concludes our tour. What now?"

"I don't know." They walked around a little longer, and then came to a building Emma had missed. "There're lights on in the movie theatre," Alex asked. "Looks like it might actually be open."

"Oh, there's an arcade downstairs. Kirk's probably there. We could see a movie if you want."

"It's kind of late for that."

"That's what I was thinking."

"Let's check out the arcade, though. It's still open."

"Okay. You can probably meet Kirk."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Alex walked into the arcade with his girlfriend, Emma. They had never referred to one another as boyfriend and girlfriend, not in front of the other anyway, but to Alex, that's what they were. They had been informally dating for a few weeks, and now they were getting near the end, at least he thought so, of their first official date.

He liked the spontaneity of the whole evening so far. They had been to the dance, and left when they had had enough. Then they had gone to Luke's diner until they had felt like leaving, then they wandered Star's Hollow for awhile, and now they were here. Alex had enjoyed Emma's grand tour immensely, he liked getting her take on the whole town. He had a feeling he would be spending some more time here if he continued dating Emma. He wanted to continue dating her badly, he really liked her. He was pretty happy with the town, he liked it himself, but he was enjoying even more how much Emma liked it, and how in her element she was there. He loved watching her there, she was so relaxed and comfortable, especially considering it wasn't her own town. _She's probably come here every week since she was a baby, _Alex realized.

As he walked into the arcade holding Emma's hand, he saw a man who must have been in his fifties on the Dance Dance Revolution machine. _What the heck?_ Emma hadn't been kidding about Star's Hollow's crazy locals. _Who can this be?_ He asked himself. _Taylor? Kirk, maybe?_

The man stopped as he lost his game and turned to greet Emma and Alex. "Hi Kirk," Emma said.

"Hi Emma. I didn't know you were visiting Lorelai this weekend. Where is she?"

"I would assume she's at her house. I'm not visiting. We had a dance around here for school, in the Independence Hall, and we left the dance a little early and came here looking for something to do."

"Who's he?" said Kirk un-eloquently, but in such a way that Alex didn't think he was being rude.

"This is, um," Emma stalled. Alex wondered if she was going to introduce him as her boyfriend. Her face suddenly set, giving her a determined appearance that Alex loved. "My boyfriend, Alex. He was my date." Alex was happy she had called him her boyfriend, it told him that it was okay for him to refer to her as his girlfriend, and that she wouldn't mind.

"This is a good dating spot, good choice. I still take Lulu here on occasion," he said, motioning to a pretty woman of about Kirk's age with dark hair sitting in a chair near the DDR machine. Alex hadn't noticed her before. He assumed she was Kirk's wife.

"I like to watch him dance," Lulu said in a little girl voice that didn't quite match her appearance. "I think it's sexy, don't you, Emma?"

"I think it's better I don't answer that," Emma said, nodding toward Alex.

"I see," Lulu said. "Not in front of your boyfriend. Wouldn't want him to be jealous."

"So Alex," Kirk said. "How do you like the Hollow? Is Emma presenting it to you in a good way or turning you away? I was never quite sure about her," Kirk said, as if Emma couldn't hear them. Emma, clearly used to Kirk, just smiled.

"I really like it. It seems really nice. Emma kind of gave me the grand tour, and she seems to really love the town."

"Good. I thought I liked her," he said.

Alex found the couple funny, but mildly disturbing. They seemed nice, but they were the strangest people he had ever met.

"Why don't you try the dancing game, Alex?" Lulu asked. "It's really fun, and then Emma can see if your dancing is as hot as Kirk's."

"I'm not very good at dancing," Alex said. "Emma already knows that," he said, looking at Emma with a face that he hoped said "help me."

He wasn't as good at manipulating his expressions to say exactly what he wanted them to as Emma was, but she got the message. "I don't need to see Alex on the DDR machine, Lulu," she said. "We should be going soon anyway, but I'm coming back tomorrow to see Lorelai, so maybe I'll see you then."

"Okay, we'll let you go. Bye Emma! And Alex, I hope to see you again soon," Lulu said.

Kirk didn't say goodbye because he had started another game of DDR, but he sort of nodded at them as they walked out the door.

"Should I call Joe now?" Alex asked, thinking that Emma wanted to leave since she had told Kirk and Lulu they had to go. _Or maybe she was just trying to get me away from Kirk and Lulu._

"Probably, it's getting late. What time is it, I never wear a watch," Emma asked.

"Eleven thirty," Alex said, looking at his. It was later than he thought it was.

"Ten minutes. It takes twenty minutes to get home, so we have ten minutes," Apparently Emma was one of those people who liked to keep things going until the last possible second. That was good, Alex was having fun and he didn't want to leave, but he didn't want Emma to get in trouble either.

"Isn't early better than late?" he asked her.

"Sometimes, but not in this situation. My parents will both be asleep, and Sophia will have gone home," Emma said. "So if I'm ten minutes late, nobody will ever find out. I don't think they'd care anyway, but I'm not pushing past ten minutes."

"So what do we do for ten minutes?"

Emma smiled as if she had an idea. Alex liked Emma's ideas most of the time, but he could never be sure what was coming with her. "You know Miss Patty's place?" she asked.

"Well no, but you showed it to me before. It's a dance studio, right?"

"Yea. Let's check it out," she said.

"It's just an old barn, what is there to check out?" Alex wasn't sure what Emma was thinking, what could there be to see at a dance studio?

"I don't know," said Emma, but she went up to the door and pulled at the handle. It was unlocked and opened easily.

"Hold on one minute," Alex said, and sat down on the second step to the entrance of the barn and took out his cell phone. He didn't know how long it would take Joe to get to the square, so he figured he'd call now to avoid any unwanted surprises. "Hi, Joe?" he said. "Yea, pick us up in front of the barn, yea, the dance studio, in ten minutes."

"Good idea," Emma said.

"Can't hurt. Figured it'd be better to avoid the whole 'You want me to pick you up now? I'm twenty miles away,' situation."

"Definitely better. That is why I don't like surprises, and you are the perfect boyfriend for me because you do everything in your power to prevent these surprises from happening," Emma said with a playful air, although Alex knew she wasn't really being sarcastic.

He was happy. There was nothing wrong with being called perfect by your girlfriend under any circumstances. He watched Emma pull the door open, still unsure of why they were going into the barn in the first place.

"Cool," Emma said as they went in. It basically was just a huge barn, with odds and ends stored all along the walls. Everything from yoga mats to dancing props to microphones and folding chairs were stored there. There was a big mirror and a ballet barre on one wall, but the rest looked like an average barn.

"What's all this stuff for?" Alex asked, more as a general question than directly to Emma, but she answered him anyway.

"My guess is that they use this building for a lot of things besides dancing. Maybe they use it for town gatherings and other types of classes, too."

"That makes sense." Alex didn't know why he hadn't thought of that, but he liked that Emma was able to figure it out. He liked having a girlfriend who was possibly smarter than he was.

"Look at these," Emma said, pointing to a bunch of pictures on one of the walls. They were pictures of women doing different things like dancing, acting, and singing.

"What? They're just pictures. Do you know any of them?"

"I think I know all of them. It looks like they're all Miss Patty."

"The dance teacher? She's pretty old, isn't she?"

"Yea, she has to be seventy or eighty at least."

"Which one looks most like her now?" Alex asked out of curiosity.

"Wow, none of these really looks like Patty," Emma said. "Maybe this one," Emma said, pointing to one where she looked about fifty. "But add, uh," Emma said, considering something, "thirty plus pounds."

"Yikes. She's not exactly thin there, is she?"

"Nope. She's a big woman. Not at all like this one," Emma said, pointing to a leggy girl that looked about twenty.

"I guess time changes people," Alex said, laughing. "But promise me you won't look like that in forty years. I don't care if you haven't seen me in thirty, never look like that."

"Not planning on it, and right back at you," Emma said, looking amused herself. They stared at each other for a moment smiling, Alex trying not to picture Emma three times her current size. "Come on," Emma said, suddenly turning away from the pictures and walking toward the door at a brisk pace. Alex didn't know what she had been thinking about, but he guessed that it wasn't a fat version of him.

"Where are we going?" he asked, following her out the door. He always went along with Emma, even if he didn't know what he was going along with. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but he trusted Emma to some extent.

"Gazebo," she said.

"Why?"  
"Because I like it, and I've never been inside." They were walking quickly, like Emma was trying to get there soon, but Alex didn't know why.

Emma took the four steps up to the gazebo two at a time. Once they were actually in the gazebo, she slowed down immensely, and sat down on one of the benches inside. Taking the hint, Alex sat down beside her.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Emma said. "I like the view, you can see most of the town."

"We are right in the center," Alex said, restating the obvious. This was completely random, he didn't know what they were doing there.

"This is nice," Emma said. "I'm having a good time, are you?"

"Definitely," Alex said, completely truthful.

"Should we do this again sometime? I mean, not this exactly, but something? You know what I mean," she said, laughing at how she was sort of tripping over her own words, not something she usually did.

"Yea, I mean, if you want to," Alex said.

"We definitely should."

"Good." Alex did really like Emma, and he had the sense that she liked him, too. This whole night was really nice. Alex realized finally why Emma had probably brought him to the gazebo. It was romantic in a girly sort of way. Thinking Joe would probably show up at any moment, Alex didn't have time to be nervous. He leaned over toward Emma and kissed her. It wasn't awkward as he had thought it might be, it was just nice. He backed up to see if Emma's reaction was positive.

She was smiling softly, looking happy but like she wasn't quite sure what had just happened. At that moment, Alex heard a car horn and turned to see Joe in the limo. Alex had never thought about how convenient it was that his uncle owned a limo company until he started to plan that date. He remembered not knowing how they were going to get there, because he couldn't drive yet without a licensed driver in the car, a bus was completely un-date-like, and he didn't want one of his parents to drive them to the dance.

"There's Joe," Alex said, breaking the moment-long silence. Emma stood up without saying anything and they walked to the limo, once again hand in hand.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Emma woke up the next morning as happy as she had been when she had fallen asleep the night before. The night before, she had had her first date with her first boyfriend and her first kiss. Besides that, she had found out a little bit more about Lorelai. She had owned the Independence before the Dragonfly. She would find out more that day, and she couldn't wait until then. She didn't know what time she was supposed to go over Lorelai's, but she figured she'd call her after she ate breakfast.

She rolled over and checked the clock. Ten thirty, that was a good time to get up. She got up and stepped into the fuzzy purple slippers that she kept beside her bed. Downstairs, she found a platter of fresh fruit on the table, which was nothing abnormal. Sophia liked putting fresh fruit out for breakfast, although it never all got eaten. Sophia sometimes cooked as if she were feeding a family of twelve rather than four. Emma liked it though, it definitely gave her a nice variety of food to choose from.

She sat down and filled a tiny plate with a few small pieces of fruit, more for the purpose of keeping herself busy until Sophia came out again than because she actually wanted it. Sure enough, Sophia came out a moment later. "Emma! How was your dance last night?" she asked in her enthusiastic Italian accent.

"Good," Emma said, smiling automatically. Thinking about the dance, she wouldn't have been able to keep herself from smiling if she had wanted to.

"That's good," Sophia said, clearly happy that Emma was happy. She didn't ask any more questions, knowing that Emma would tell her whatever she wanted her to know. Emma loved that about Sophia, she was sweet, but stayed out of Emma's business until Emma told her by her own choice. "I'm making pancakes," she said. "Do you want some?"

"Definitely. I love pancakes."

"I know. They'll be right out."

A few moments later Sophia came back out with Emma's pancakes. "Are you going to your grandmother's house today?"

"Yep. Have to get my pictures developed first though, I promised her I'd get them developed before I saw her."

"Very good. I'm sure she'll like that."

"Yea, I'm sure she will too. You can see the pictures too if you want, after I get back from Lorelai's."

"Good. Are you going to show them to your parents, too?"

"I'll probably show them to Mom. She'll probably want to see them." Emma couldn't see her dad being interested in her dance pictures. "Lorelai gets to see them first, though."

"Good. Well, you will have fun. When are you going?"

"I don't know, I'm going to call her after breakfast."

"Very good." Sophia turned and went back into the kitchen. Emma smiled. As sweet as Sophia was, the shortness of her statements and conversations would probably seem rude to those who didn't know her. That was just Sophia.

After Emma had finished her pancakes, which, as most of Sophia's food, were excellent, she went back up to her room. She put on jeans and a brown t-shirt that said "All this and brains too" in curly white letters. She pulled her hair back with a brown leather-like barrette shaped like a butterfly. She then grabbed her phone, sat on her bed, and started dialing.

"Hello?"

"Hi, guess who," she said playfully.

"Emma! How was the dance?"

"Excellent. No more questions, I'm coming over today. When do you want me?"

"ASAP. I'm not really doing anything today."

"Good. I have to get my mom to drive me, and I have to stop and get the pictures developed, but I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Meet me at my house, and then maybe we'll go to Luke's for lunch."

"Luke's for lunch. Good alliteration and good idea. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Good. I'm hanging up so you can get here sooner."

"See you shortly." Emma and Lorelai hung up, and Emma went downstairs again to try to track down her mother. She found her in the kitchen helping Sophia. "Guess you aren't busy today," Emma commented.

"Not really. Why?"

"I need a licensed driver. I have to go to get my pictures developed, then to Lorelai's."

"Well, I guess I could be your licensed driver. Do you want to drive?"

"I don't really care, I just want to get there. It wouldn't be a bad idea, I need to get more driving time to get my license."

"Fine with me. When do you want to go?"

"Now. Sooner the better."

"Okay, let me grab my purse and my keys," Rory said.

"You can go now?"

"Yea, you said yourself I'm not busy today. Let's go."

"Okay. You're just usually not, not busy."

"Well today I'm not. Turn on the car and meet me out there," Rory said, taking her keys off of the key ring and tossing them gently to Emma.

Emma missed them, picked them up off the floor, and said, "You should have known I wouldn't catch it."

"You are my daughter."

Emma turned around and went out to the hallway. She got her coat from the closet and went out to the car. She turned it on, turned on the heat, and waited for her mother. Rory showed up a moment later, purse in hand.

"I don't get why you always need your purse. You aren't buying anything."

"I just always have it. Maybe I'll need to buy something, you never know."

"Whatever." Emma started the car.

"Don't you need money to get your pictures developed, anyway?"

"I have five bucks in my pocket. That should cover it."

"It should. You don't have to pay for that, though."

"I want to."

"Okay. How was your dance by the way?"

"Good," Emma said automatically. "Now can I just drive?"

"Yes, by all means," Rory said.

"Thank you," Emma said, not meaning to sound exasperated, but coming off that way. The rest of the drive passed more or less quietly, Emma still liked to concentrate while she drove, and Rory still didn't like to distract her while she drove.

Emma pulled up to a drugstore just outside of Star's Hollow with a one hour photo. She dropped off the camera, and then realized she would actually have to wait an hour with her mother. Not that that was a problem, but she figured that the extra time together would only give Rory extra time to hammer Emma with questions about the dance. That wasn't really a problem either, Emma just really wanted Lorelai to be the first one to really find out about the dance.

For lack of anything else to do, Emma went back to the car. "One hour," she said. "What do we do?"

"Let's go to Star's Hollow. We're like two minutes outside of it, why not?"

"I don't want to go to Lorelai's without the pictures."

"Not to Lorelai's, just to Star's Hollow."

"Why?"

"Why not? I haven't really been there with you. I can show you around."

"I already know my way around. Lorelai showed me around the first time I visited her, or the second, I don't know, one of them. I showed Alex around last night. I don't need you to show me around. It's as much my town as it is yours."

"Not really hon. I grew up there. You've only been there a few times."

"I feel like I could have grown up there. In some respects I did grow up there."

"I want to show you Star's Hollow like I know it. We'll have different places we know, and I am an encyclopedia of interesting stories and facts about the town. You want to find out more about it, right?"

"Yea, I guess. How did you know that?"

"I know you. I know you better than you think I do. You like learning new things."

"I guess I do. Okay, let's do it. We'll have about forty-five minutes once you figure in getting there, getting back here, and the time we've spent already."

"Well, let's go then."

"Okay."

Emma parked in the square and she and Rory got out. "I love the gazebo," Emma said, pointing.

"I like it too. Been to the Black White and Read theatre?"

"Yea, I like it."

"How about Patty's?"

"I've been there."

"Ever been to a town meeting?"

"No. What's that?"

"You have to get Lorelai to take you to a town meeting. They're usually really entertaining. Taylor's usually arguing with somebody, or everybody. Do you know Taylor?"

"I've met him once or twice."

"He's a character."

"That he is."

"Hmm… I know you've been to the Dragonfly."

"Many times."

"And our, Lorelai's house," Rory said quickly."

"Been to Lorelai's many times." _Rory still thinks of Lorelai's house as hers, and probably Star's Hollow as her town. Interesting._

"Doose's Market?"

"I've been in there, I think just once."

"That's where I had my first kiss. Dean Forrester. I went in for cornstarch, not really, I wanted to see Dean, but I was going to buy cornstarch, then he kissed me, and I ended up taking the cornstarch without paying for it. Interesting sequence of events."

"Sounds like it."

"I remember going straight to Lane's. The first thing out of my mouth was "I got kissed. And I shoplifted."

"Nice," Emma giggled. She shook her head.

"I remember after he kissed me, I said thank you. Then I ran. Worst reaction ever."

"Not great. Sounds a little spazzy."

"More than a little. Have you been to Weston's?"

"No. Lorelai said they have good cake."

"Very good cake. It's a nice place. Get Lorelai to take you there some time."

"I think I will. Or we could go some time. I guess just because this is Lorelai's town, it doesn't mean you can't come here."

"Want to go now?"

"Not really. I just had breakfast not long ago, and I'm having lunch with Lorelai."

"Okay. Not a problem."

"So why aren't you doing DAR stuff today?"  
"Taking the day off."

"Can you do that?"

"I don't know, but I am. The longer I'm a member of the DAR, the more, well, annoying, for lack of a better word, it gets. I might just quit. One of these days."

"You keep saying that. I don't think you're going to. What would you do?"

"I don't know."

"Stay in it, it's what you do."

"Maybe."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Once again she drove away. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Away from her town, her house, her home, just away. She knew she would be back, but at the same time, she wasn't sure she'd ever really return. She might never have the relationship that she had once had with the woman in the house she drove away from: her mother, or even with the man who was probably in the house, who had been more of a father to her than anyone she had ever known, including her biological father.

Her daughter had a better relationship with her mother than she did. _That's not that unusual_, she told herself. _That's the way it was for me growing up. Mom hated Grandma._ She winced at the thought going through her own mind, hoping she and her mother weren't quite at the level of her mother and grandmother. _Maybe it's worse. At least they spoke to one another._ She didn't know if they had been in contact in recent years or not, although somehow she doubted it. _It's different_, she managed to convince herself.

More than anything, she wanted that relationship back. She wanted once again to think of her mother as her best friend. She had Lane and she had Paris, but she really didn't see either one of them that often, and she had a different relationship with both of them than she used to have with Lorelai. She wanted Lorelai back, but she didn't know how that was possible.

Almost equally, she wanted a better relationship with her daughter. She had always known she would someday have a daughter. She told herself, and everyone else, when she had been pregnant with Emma, that she didn't care if it was a boy or girl, but she wanted a girl, and somewhere deep in her mind, she knew she would have a girl. She had always said that she would have a relationship with her daughter that was as wonderful as the relationship had been between her and her mother. Unfortunately that hadn't quite worked out.

Emma was closer to Lorelai than to Rory, and Rory knew it. She hated it, but she knew it. She hid it well, but she hated Emma spending so much time with Lorelai, doing things with her, and sharing everything with her before she shared them with her own mother. She hadn't asked Emma much about her dance because she knew she would want to share the details with Lorelai first. She hadn't even asked to see the pictures because she had a feeling Emma would want Lorelai to be the first to see them.

Rory didn't know why she and Emma weren't closer than they were. She blamed it partially on her own early adulthood. She had spent the last leg of her childhood living with her grandmother. She loved her grandmother, but she wasn't the role model Rory should have had at that point in her life. It should have been Lorelai, and she knew it. The activities of the older, richer woman shouldn't have influenced her in the way they had. She would never have joined the DAR, or quit college, or even have had a maid if it weren't for Emily.

Sophia had turned out to be a blessing, but the other two things hadn't. Emma was right, the DAR was what she did for the most part, but she wished it wasn't. The women in it drove her up the wall, and organizing DAR functions was no longer one of her favorite things to do. She wasn't sure if it was logical, but she saw the DAR as a major roadblock between herself and Lorelai.

Quitting Yale had turned out to be one of the worst decisions of her life. She wished with everything she had that she hadn't dropped out, that she had at least gone back after taking some time off. Without a college degree, she felt that she was limited to her DAR activities. She didn't need to get a job, Logan's income combined with his inherited wealth was far more than enough to sustain the good life that she and her family had, but she was considering getting a job more and more often as something to do. The only true reason she hadn't really considered it with the thought of actually doing it was that she wouldn't be able to get a job that she liked and that challenged her without a college degree.

She was truly getting fed up with the fight between herself and her mother. Twenty years was more than long enough. She wanted it to end, and she wanted it to end as soon as possible. These were the thoughts going through her head as she pulled into her own driveway. She set her jaw, opened her car door and walked briskly into her house. She went directly to her phone to do something she wasn't sure she should be doing. Her daughter had advised against it, and she usually listened to Emma. Emma was smart, and sometimes displayed more logic than she did herself. Logic however, didn't play a part in what she was doing.

The phone rang, and soon was answered by a voice she knew. "Hello?"

"Hi Carol, it's Rory," she said to the DAR's secretary.

"Hi Rory. I haven't heard from you all day. Been busy?"

"No, actually I was taking the day off," she wasn't ashamed to admit.

"Really? You never take the day off."

"Actually, I'm taking more than a day off. Get someone else to finish organizing the bathroom fundraiser."

"I wish you'd stop calling it that. It's to further furnish our headquarters, which will please all the members of the DAR, including you."

"And it so just happens that one of the main focuses of the entire DAR, minus one, is to get heated toilet seats for the headquarters bathroom. We have better things to use out budget for!"

"Okay, okay, I'll find someone else. Are you sure though? You've already halfway organized it, and I know you don't like quitting projects in the middle."

"I'm sure, trust me. In fact, I don't want to be part of the DAR anymore. Take my name off the list."

"Off the list? You do know that this means that you will not only be completely unable to organize any more of our functions, but you also won't be able to help with, or even attend them anymore? The DAR ladies don't take kindly to key members such as yourself dropping out of the organization. You won't even be able to enjoy the benefits of the renovations to headquarters."

"You know what Carol? I think I can live without sitting on a heated toilet seat in the near future. In fact, I'd be just as happy to never enjoy the benefits of a heated toilet seat, which I'm sure are numerous, in my entire life. Take my name off the damn list!" With those elegant last words, she hung up.

Throughout most of her life, she had never really enjoyed shouting or arguing. Through most of high school and her brief college experience, that had been Paris's department. Many of the arguments she had taken part in had ended in tears, but strangely, this one didn't. She felt somehow pleased, as if she should have done this long ago. The next challenge she faced was to tell her daughter what she had done.

Emma saw her mother pulling out of the driveway out of the corner of her eye as Lorelai answered the door. She looked pleased to see Emma. "Emma! Hi! You got here pretty fast."

"I know, Mom was actually ready to go pretty much as soon as I hung up with you. So, well, here I am," Emma tried to keep the conversation about her mother down to a minimum when she talked to Lorelai. She didn't think Lorelai liked to talk about Rory much, and she knew she missed her.

"Well, good. Now, first thing's first, do you have pictures?"

"Yep. The only reason it took me as long as it did was I had to wait an hour to get them developed. But here they are, all ready to be looked at."

"Good. So what are we waiting for? Come over here and let's look at them," she said, pointing at her couch.

"Okay, let's go," Emma said as she and Lorelai sat down. "Wait, should we let Sookie and Luke see these, too? Sookie bought me the camera, so I assume she wanted to see the pictures, and I have a feeling Luke would want to see them, whether he would admit it or not."  
"No, me first," she said, with mock offense that Emma had even considered showing them to anyone else. "Have you seen these yet?" she asked seriously.

"Nope. Just got them developed, I haven't even had the chance."

"Good, so I am first." Lorelai was pleased. "So apparently it went well, you sounded happy when I talked to you this morning."

"Yes it did, it was great."

"I need more."

"A picture is worth a thousand words, apparently," she said.

"How many pictures do you have?"

"Twenty-six thousand words."

"Good. Let's see."

"Okay, I have no idea how many of these turned out, but let's find out."

"Just open them!"

"Fine." Emma took the pictures carefully out of their envelope.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Okay, this one's when I was getting ready. I believe it was just before Sophia started doing my hair."

"Good. Not that interesting. Next."

Emma flipped to the next photo. "This is when Sophia was halfway finished with my hair. She wouldn't let me see it, but I made her take a picture."

"Good job. Next."

"Okay, this is after hair, before makeup."

"Next."

"This is me on my way downstairs. I actually made Sophia come halfway up the stairs to get the camera so she could get a picture of me coming down the stairs."

"Okay. You looked beautiful."

"I'm loving the past-tense."

"Hey, you can't expect constant compliments from me. Next picture, please."

They went through a few more pictures in this way, pictures of Emma taken by Alex, pictures of Alex taken by Emma, and pictures of both of them together taken by random people that Emma forced her camera on. When they got to the pictures of the dance itself, Lorelai got a strange look on her face. "Where was this?" she asked.

"Here, actually."

"Here? Like, here, here? Because I didn't notice anyone in my living room, not that I was necessarily paying attention."

"No, here in Star's Hollow."

"Where in Star's Hollow?"

"The Independence Hall."

"Huh," Lorelai was looking at it as if it looked familiar, but she wasn't putting it together. She had taken the stack of pictures, and was flipping through them on her own, with Emma looking over her shoulder. "I know what this is!" Lorelai said suddenly. "This is the Independence Inn. I used to work here," she said, showing Emma the picture.

"I know you did," Emma said.

"How?"

"There was a poster there, apparently Taylor owns it now and he put up a display of all of the previous owners. I read one of them, and it said you used to manage the place."

"That's right, I did know Taylor owned it. I haven't been there in years. A lot of years."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, haven't had the need."

Emma took the stack of pictures back with a small amount of force. "It said on the poster that you wanted them to keep a tool shed on the property. I sort of wondered why, so I dragged Alex down to look at it. It looks more like a little kid's playhouse than a tool shed, it's really nice."

"I know what it looks like."

Emma flipped the picture. Alex had taken it, she was standing outside of the shed.

Lorelai looked at it. "Exactly like I remember it," she said aloud, but to herself.

"It sounds like Taylor made sure of that. It's protected by some sort of town bylaw."

"Actually I made sure of that. See, from my dealings with Taylor, I've learned that he can find a bylaw for absolutely everything inconvenient. So I figured that if there is a law for everything I don't want, there should be at least one covering something I want. Apparently the shed was built in sometime in the 1800s, and there's a bylaw saying that everything built in a year that started with an eighteen is protected as long as there's someone trying to preserve it."

"So why exactly did you want to preserve it? And decorate it? At least I'm assuming you did that."

"That was me."

"Why?"

"I used to live there."

"In the tool shed?"

"Yea, actually," Lorelai said with a small laugh, but not as if something was funny. "Rory and I lived there when she was really little."

"When Mom was little? Why? Didn't you live with your parents?"

"I never told you about that?"

"No you didn't."

"Okay, I guess I will now," Lorelai said, as if she didn't really want to.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Emma said, sensing Lorelai's uneasiness on the topic. She really did want to know anything Lorelai would tell her, but she didn't want Lorelai to feel like she had to tell her.

"You want me to though, don't you?" Lorelai was getting to know Emma even better than Emma thought.

"Yes," Emma smiled. "But you don't have to."

"I will. Well, I left. I took Rory and left my parents' house. I somehow ended up in Star's Hollow, and the inn looked like a place where I could get a job, and maybe a temporary place to live. The owner, Mia, was really, really great. She gave me a job, although I had no experience or references, or skills really. She let Rory and I stay in the tool shed, which I of course made pretty, because it's what I do. I worked as a maid for a few years. We bought this old house when Rory was six or seven. Mia moved to California a few years after that and promoted me to manager."

"What happened to it?" Emma wanted Lorelai to tell her, although she partially knew the answer. "Why don't you still work there?"

"Well, Sookie and I had dreamed of owning our own inn for years. Mia came back to visit once and I finally told her. She said she was thinking about selling the place anyway, and well, I wasn't particularly happy, but I dealt with it. I didn't tell her, but I think she knew I wasn't happy, because she didn't sell it. Not right away, although I didn't have the money to buy my own inn at that point, either. About a year later it burned down."

"Really?" Emma tried to look as shocked and sympathetic as she was when she first read about the fire. Apparently it worked.

"Not down, literally, it was still standing, but there was a big fire. Nobody was hurt, but it really destroyed the inside. That gave Mia a really good excuse to sell it, and she did. Then Sookie and I bought the Dragonfly."

"The Independence was really pretty. The building, but especially the grounds. They were completely snow-covered, and nobody had walked on them until Alex and I did. I could tell the entire thing used to be really beautiful."

"It did." Lorelai looked nostalgic and a little sad.

After a pause, Emma broke the silence. She thought it was nice how it was no longer as awkward for her to break the silences between her and Lorelai. "So, when are we going to show these pictures to Sookie?"

"How about now," Lorelai said. "Let me call her, and we'll go over there."

"Is she at the Dragonfly?"

"I doubt it; I think she's at her house. Unless she's obsessing over some detail of the menu, which wouldn't be abnormal, I think she's at home."

"Okay, I've never been to Sookie's house. Call her."

"You know what? You call her. I think she'd want to hear from you more than me."

"You're her best friend."

"I know, but she always hears from me. She'd be excited. Call her."

"Okay." Emma didn't usually need to be asked twice to do something like that. She knew where Lorelai's phone was by that point, so she picked it up. "What's Sookie's number?"

Lorelai told her the number, and she dialed it.

"Hello?"

"Hi Sookie, it's Emma."

"Emma!" Lorelai was right, Sookie sounded excited. "How was your dance?"

"Really good. I loved your camera, I took a lot of pictures. I used the entire roll."

"Good! Glad you liked it! When do I get to see them?"  
"Now, if it's okay with you. I have the pictures, and I'm at Lorelai's house. We were thinking about coming down, if it's okay."

"Of course it's okay," Sookie said as if she didn't know why Emma had even asked.

"Okay, I guess we'll see you in a few minutes, then."

"Hurry up and get over here, I want to see those pictures!" With this, Sookie hung up.

Lorelai looked amused. "Did she hang up?"

"Yea, apparently she's more excited about my pictures than I am."

"That's Sookie. Eccentric, but we love her."

"That we do, but we'd better get over there before she kills somebody in anticipation."

"Jackson's actually out of town, so she's home by herself."

Emma clenched her jaw in mock concern. "Then we'd better get there soon."

"Yea," Lorelai laughed. "Let's go."

Lorelai and Emma grabbed their coats and headed toward Sookie's house. When they got there, Sookie answered the door as Emma was leaning forward to ring the doorbell. "There are my girls," she said, as if Lorelai and Emma were her own daughters. "Come in!"  
"Jeez Sookie, were you standing in front of the door waiting for us or something?" Lorelai asked. "We didn't even ring the doorbell and you answered the door."

"Well, it isn't every day that I get to see pictures of Emma's dance. Let me see, let me see!"  
"Okay Sookie, calm down. Don't we want to sit down or something?" Emma asked.

"Yea, we could sit. Let's sit. Where do we sit?" Sookie asked.

"Couch? Chairs? Table?" Emma offered. "You tell me, I've never been here before."

"That's right. This is my house," Sookie said, as if she had forgotten in excitement. "Okay, couch." Sookie ran ahead and sat on the right side of the couch. "Okay, Emma should sit in the middle since she has the pictures."

"I've already seen the pictures, Sookie," Lorelai told her.  
"But I'll sit in the middle anyway," Emma said, going with the program. Emma sat down and handed Sookie the picture-filled envelope.

"Ooh, goody," Sookie said, taking the pictures from the envelope. She flipped through the first few pictures making relatively calm comments by Sookie's standards about how pretty Emma looked as she was getting ready. Her face lit up even more when she saw the picture of Emma on the stairs. "You look like a movie star!" she said excitedly. Emma just smiled, not really possessing a comment appropriate for Sookie's remark. "Where was this?" Sookie asked, getting to some of the pictures at the Independence. "It looks familiar."

"I'm sure it does. You used to work there," Emma said, wondering if Sookie would figure out what she was talking about.

"Really?" she pondered, clearly trying to think of places she'd worked.

"It's here in Star's Hollow," Emma said. "It's called the Independence Hall."

She clearly got it. "It used to be an inn," she said.

"Yep."

"It's still pretty."

"Very pretty," Emma agreed.

"I haven't been there in a long time." Sookie continued flipping through. She got to the tool shed. "Isn't this where you and Rory lived when you first moved here?" she asked Lorelai.

"Yes it is."

"It's still there?" she asked, seeing Emma in front of it.

"Yes it is," Emma said.

"Wow."

"It's protected by a town bylaw," Emma said.

"And isn't everything," Sookie said.

"Lorelai made sure of it," Emma said, smiling.

"Oh, I sort of remember that," Sookie said. "Right after Taylor bought the place. You fought that one at a few different town meetings."

"Yep," Lorelai said, looking to Emma like she was tired of talking about it.

"Have you seen it lately?"

"No."

"Let's go."

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"Yea!" Emma said. "That would be fun. You guys could show me the old inn. I'd like that."

"What, now?" Lorelai asked.

"Why not?" Sookie said. "I'm not doing anything, and neither are the two of you."

"Yea, let's go!"  
"Okay," Lorelai agreed somewhat reluctantly. Emma noticed this, but didn't back down. She knew Lorelai would go if she thought Emma really wanted to, and Emma did really want to.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Somehow the inn looked different by daylight with Lorelai and Sookie than it had by night with Alex. It was still beautiful, but in a different way. With Alex, it had been romantic and beautiful in the truest sense of the word. It had seemed unreal that it had been anything other than the scene of Emma's first dance. With Lorelai and Sookie it seemed fun, and it was far more evident to Emma that the place had a rich history.

"The outside looks the same," Sookie pointed out. "Let's see if we can get inside."

The three of them walked up to the door, and when Sookie turned the doorknob, it opened easily.

Emma smiled. "Is there even any point in locking doors in Star's Hollow?"

"Not really," Sookie replied happily. "Apparently Taylor either finally realized that, or he just forgot to lock the door."

"I'm betting on he forgot," Emma said.

"Me too," Sookie laughed.

When they stepped inside, the first thing out of Sookie's mouth was, "Wow. This is a lot different than I remember."

"Really?" Emma asked. "Well, tell me what it used to look like."

"This was the lobby. The desk was over there, and there were chairs and a coffee table over there," Sookie said, pointing out different things. They walked around like this for awhile, and Emma didn't notice Lorelai was no longer with them until they got to the kitchen. Sookie had been going on about exactly what oven they had and which counter the food processor was on for a little too long, and Emma turned to where she thought Lorelai was standing with a "save me" expression. When she saw that Lorelai wasn't standing there, she had to interrupt Sookie in the middle of her contemplation of whether she had had a six or eight piece knife set.

"Sookie, hold on a minute," she said, trying unsuccessfully to look apologetic for interrupting her mid-sentence. "Where's Lorelai?"  
"What?" she looked around, and when she didn't see Lorelai, her expression changed from confused to concerned. "I don't know, when did she leave?"

"I just noticed now, but come to think of it, I haven't heard her say anything for awhile."

"Not since we got here. That's strange, she usually isn't that quiet. I wonder why she's been like that?"

"I have a theory," Emma said. "She lived here for awhile. There're a lot of memories here for her. Memories involving her daughter. She misses Rory."

"Ooh, you're probably right," Sookie said, in a way that let Emma know that she really did think she was right and also was sympathetic for her friend. "Where do you think she went?"  
"She probably went to look around on her own for awhile."

"Should we look for her?"  
"Let's leave her alone for a little while. You can finish showing me some other rooms," Emma said, trying to stress the word "other."

Sookie must have caught the drift that Emma was tired of the kitchen, and she halfheartedly attempted to show her the dining room. Emma knew she too was thinking of Lorelai, and this was confirmed when Sookie interrupted her own speech about the plates they had used with "Do you think we should have made Lorelai to come here?"

Emma thought for a moment. Apparently Sookie had also noticed that Lorelai wasn't as into the little field trip as Sookie and Emma. "We didn't make her," she said finally. "But I suppose we did make it so that she didn't have much choice. So if you mean should we have used our amazing powers to lure her here…" Emma smiled, and paused for a moment. "Yes," she finally said. "She needs to face some of her memories. She needs to realize how much she really misses Rory."

"I think she realizes," Sookie said quietly.

"I know, but," Emma sighed. "Something isn't working. Maybe this will. I'm not sure how, but maybe." She hated seeing Lorelai upset, but she was getting a little desperate. She also did really enjoy finding out about her mother and grandmother's lives before she came into the picture, particularly before their fight.

"I don't know hon," Sookie said.

After a pause, Emma spoke again. "I'm gonna go find her. Will you stay here?" she asked Sookie. She could tell Sookie wanted to come with her, so she added a "Please?" with pleading eyes. It was better for her to find Lorelai than for her and Sookie to find her. Emma was part of the family she was trying to bring back together, and she thought she understood Lorelai's situation better than Sookie, whether there was any truth to this or not.

"Go," she said quietly. "Just don't…" she started.

"What?"

"Don't… I don't really know. You know what you're doing."

"Yea," Emma said. She sort of knew what Sookie was trying to say, but she wouldn't have known how to say it either. Neither one of them liked seeing Lorelai upset though, and they both understood that. "I'll be back," she said, not wanting to say she'd be right back because she didn't know how long it would take to find Lorelai and talk to her.

"Try upstairs," Sookie called after her, her voice echoing eerily through the empty ex-inn. Emma stepped over the rope that had been meant to keep the students from going upstairs the night before. Her footsteps sounded loud on the wooden steps of the old building, especially because most of them creaked when stepped upon.

Her footsteps echoed as she walked down the upstairs hallway. She peered into rooms that she guessed had been guest rooms. She finally found Lorelai sitting on the floor with her back to the wall in the last room in the hallway. She thought for the first time that her grandmother looked small in the big empty room. Rather than say anything, she sat down beside Lorelai. She pulled her knees in to her chest and slipped her arms over top of them. "What are you thinking about?" She asked in a casual, yet quiet manner.

"A lot of things," Lorelai answered in her own quiet voice. Emma couldn't tell if she had been crying, but she could tell she was now carefully holding back.

"My mom?" Emma asked, not sure that she should have.

"No," Lorelai said, her voice wavering only slightly. "My daughter."

It might not have made sense, but Emma knew exactly what Lorelai meant. The two seemed to be almost completely different people, although they did bear certain similarities. "Oh," she said.

"So many memories," Lorelai said, almost in a whisper. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

"I know," Emma said quietly. "Do you wish you hadn't come?"  
Lorelai's response slightly surprised Emma. "No. These memories are good." A moment of silence, but not the uncomfortable kind, followed. "I just miss her," Lorelai said.

"I know you do," Emma said. "She misses you, too." Emma knew that Lorelai knew this, but she felt she needed to reinforce it. After a moment, Emma spoke again. "You know," she said, "I really think I'd appreciate you showing me around more than Sookie. Especially the shed. I mean, you know I love Sookie, but…"

"Let's go," Lorelai said. They stood up simultaneously, and Lorelai led the way out of the room. "These were guest rooms up here," she said, pointing out the rooms as they walked down the hallway. "They really haven't changed, except they used to have things in them."

"I figured that," Emma said, smiling. She blinked a few times to erase the tears that had formed in her own eyes.

They found Sookie in the exact same place Emma had left her not ten minutes earlier. "Hey you two," she said. "Everything okay?" She looked at Lorelai with an expression of mild concern.

Rather than let Lorelai answer the question that was directed mostly at her in the first place, Emma stepped in. "Yea," she said, turning toward Lorelai with a gentle smile. "We're good."

"Good." Sookie smiled. "Should we finish the tour?"

"My turn, tour guide Barbie," Lorelai re-entered the conversation. Emma laughed at the reference. Although she had assumed the role of tour guide, Sookie didn't quite fit the description of Barbie.

Lorelai proceeded with the tour of the old Independence for Emma's benefit. She was a wonderful guide, pointing out everything Emma wanted to see and inserting interesting and funny anecdotes in the perfect places. Emma could tell she was used to assuming the tour guide role in her everyday work. Although interested in the inside, Emma was more excited about the outside grounds and the tool shed. She couldn't help letting out a "Yay!" when Lorelai said the indoor portion of the tour was over.

Lorelai smiled vaguely at Emma's reaction. "If you didn't want the tour of the inside, you could have told me and I would have skipped it."

"No, I wanted that, too. I need to find out about everything, I'm just finding the outside more interesting for some reason. I don't know why really, I just loved it when Alex and I saw it last night, and I want to see it with you and Sookie."

"Okay, whatever you say." The three walked out the back door of the inn, through what used to be the kitchen. It still reminded Emma of a winter wonderland, but instead of visualizing the romantic side of winter, nights full of stars, horse-drawn sleighs, and people walking mitten-in-mitten, she was reminded more of the fun side of winter. It was still beautiful, but in a different way. She was able to clearly visualize people sled riding, throwing snowballs, building snowmen, and drinking hot cocoa in the outdoor property.

Lorelai caught Emma's smile. "It is pretty, isn't it?" she said, echoing Emma's thoughts.

"Very pretty."

"The walkway's still here," Lorelai said. "There used to be tennis courts up that way, and stables on the top of that hill," she pointed in various directions. "Other than that, this part is pretty much the same as it was."

"Maybe that's why I like it so much."

"Maybe," Lorelai smiled at the thought. "Sookie got married here," Lorelai said.

"Really?" Emma looked at Sookie. "You didn't tell me that."

"Didn't I?" Sookie asked, as if it had truly slipped her mind. "Well, I did." She smiled reminiscently.

"Yea, that was quite a day…" Lorelai trailed off. Her face showed Emma that more had happened on that day than the wedding, and it wasn't necessarily anything good, but Emma didn't push for details this time. She figured she had pushed Lorelai more than enough for one day.

"Here we are," Emma said when they got to the tool shed. "It's so pretty, Lorelai. I can only imagine living here."

"It was a little primitive, but we made of it what we could," she said, remembering. "Let's go in."

"Can we do that?"

"Why not? It's pretty much mine, I'm the one enforcing the law that it's kept here. I have the key."

"You have a key?"

"Oh yea. Here," she said, digging something out of her pocket. Emma eyed the small metal object as if it were one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. Watching her, Lorelai held out the key for Emma. "Do you want to do the honors?"

Emma's smile broadened. "Really? You don't mind?"

"Why would I mind? You're just opening the door. I've opened doors before, and you're the one that's so excited about this, kid."

"Okay," Emma didn't need convinced further. She opened the door to the little cottage, as she thought of it, and walked inside. It was a little cluttered with things that really should have been in a tool shed: a lawnmower, hedge clippers, a garden hose, and even a chainsaw. They looked out of place among the rosebud wallpaper, the small bed, the pretty flower pictures on the walls, the bathtub, and the old furniture.

Nevertheless, Emma was totally mesmerized. She walked around the small cottage, picking up small artifacts gently and finally sitting down on the bed as the old springs let out a creak, and just looking around, taking it all in. She loved it. She didn't know why, but she loved it.

"Do you like it?" Lorelai asked. Sometimes Emma swore Lorelai could read her mind, but at that moment it sounded like a rhetorical question.

"Like it?" Emma repeated quietly. "It's amazing." That was a good word, amazing. She couldn't exactly say it was pretty or cute or quaint, although it was all of those things, but amazing pretty much summed up her thinking about the place. She was content just sitting there on the bed soaking everything up for awhile, and neither she nor Lorelai nor Sookie said anything for a long moment.

There didn't seem to be much to say. Emma was amazed by the whole thing, although she wasn't completely sure why. She felt somehow connected to it, which sort of made sense since both her mother and grandmother had once lived there. "You should fix it up again," Emma finally said.

"Why?"  
"Well, if you aren't going to keep it nice, why are you bothering to keep it here?"

"It's sentimental. I used to live here. The inn's almost totally changed; I just want something to stay the same." She said it not without emotion, but not with any one particular feeling behind it. It was just the way it was.

"I guess I can understand that. You should fix it up, though. Make it look nice again."

"You know, nobody's going to see it anyway."

"It would be for you, not for anybody else. I think you'd be happy if it was nice again. I thought you liked projects like that."

"I do, but I have enough to do right now. I don't need something extra to do."

"Okay," Emma gave in. "I'll leave you alone," she smiled softly, almost jokingly. "We can go now if you want."

"You've seen all you want to see?"

"Yea, I've pretty much seen it all," she said, although she knew she would never see all she wanted to see. That was something Emma liked about life in general. There was always something she hadn't seen yet, something she didn't know. That was what kept her going much of the time.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

She was actually watching TV when her cell phone rang. She almost never watched TV, but that's what she was doing. She managed to dig her phone out of the purse on the couch beside her just before the call was forwarded to her voicemail. "Hello?"

"Hi Mom. I'm ready for you to come pick me up when you can."

"Okay. I'll come now. Lorelai's house?"

"That's where I am."

"Give me twenty minutes."

"I can do that. I guess you're still on your day off?"

"Um, yea, that's it," Rory said with a little too much hesitation

"No it isn't."

"What?" She thought she might have hesitated too much.

"That's not it. I can tell by the way you said it. You can't lie. At all."

"I have to work on that, don't I?"

"I'm fine with the way you are in that respect. I can always tell when you're lying to me."

"I don't usually lie to you."

"Exactly. So why are you lying now? If you don't tell me, I'll find out anyway."

"I know you will, and I'll tell you when I see you. Now are you going to hang up so I can come get you?"

"I called you on your cell phone. You can come get me whenever you want, and I don't even have to hang up. I could be yapping in your ear until you actually get here. That, my friend, is the beauty of the cell phone."

"And with that, I hang up. I'll see you shortly." Rory snapped her flip phone closed, ending the call. She was smiling. She loved her daughter, but she had the stubbornness that seemed to exist in all Gilmore women, and Rory's mother's tendency to be mildly annoying in a funny sort of way. She might not even realize how much she missed her mother if Emma wasn't so much like her.

Rory got into her car and drove back to Star's Hollow. She loved the drive; it was one of her favorite trips to take. It was familiar, and it brought back good memories. She smiled as she pulled into her driveway and honked her car horn. Emma came out a moment later looking a little too eager, and her smile faded when she realized what she had to tell Emma.

She was proud of what she had done. She truly felt that the DAR had taken more from her over the many years of her membership than it had gained for her. The only thing she feared was her daughter's reaction, as she had advised her to stay in the organization.

Emma got into the car and closed the door. Rory backed out of the driveway and started down the road. She thought it best to just tell Emma before she had the chance to say anything or ask questions. "I quit the DAR."

"Why?" Emma's question was quick and simple. It had come almost before Rory had finished her sentence.

Rory could take these kinds of questions, unlike some of her daughter's more complicated interrogations. The many debates she had done throughout her high school and college careers had prepared her for rapid-fire. Besides, she had thought long and hard about why she had quit after she had hung up with the secretary. "I had a lot of reasons," she started. She soon realized that some of these reasons sounded better in her head than out loud, and others she didn't want to tell Emma. Needing to provide some kind of explanation, she started, "Well, first of all, most of those women were beginning to drive me insane."

While she was searching her mind for other reasons, Emma spoke, interrupting her thoughts. "Mom, if you tell me you quit because of that stupid bathroom fundraiser…"

"No Emma, that wasn't it. Not the whole reason."

"Well then, what was it? Enlighten me." When Rory was silent, Emma spoke again. "Fine. It's really your business. What do you plan to do with your time?" Rory was silent again. She hadn't yet given that enough thought. "Okay," Emma said, with the air of someone who was trying to help a small child figure out a large problem in small steps. "What did you do today?"

"Well, I spent part of the day with you, and I picked you up…"

"What did you do while I was with Lorelai? Watch daytime TV? Maybe some soap operas?"

Rory was silent again. Her mind flashed back to a time in her senior year of high school when had Paris melted down. It wasn't an unusual thing for Paris, but it had been a serious meltdown, even by her standards. Rory remembered going to her house one day to find her lying in bed watching daytime soap operas, and having to talk her into going back to school. She didn't want to be like that, even for a short time.

Echoing her thoughts, Emma jumped back in. "You are not going to stay at home every day watching TV, I don't care what it is. I will personally call the DAR and sign you back up if that's all you plan on doing."

Emma's tone told Rory she had better think of something she was planning to do with her time as soon as possible. There was a thought she had considered, but she hadn't considered it long enough to pursue it. Under pressure, she blurted it out. "I'm going to take journalism classes."

Emma smiled as this thought reached her ears. "Now that's actually a good idea. Where are you going to take them at?"

"I don't know yet. Maybe I'll try for Yale, or maybe I'll just take them from Hartford Community. I'd rather take from Yale, but I don't know if I'll get in again. I might be able to persuade them to take me just for a few journalism classes, not a full degree."

Emma's smile widened. "What's your definition of 'persuade'? Bribe?"

Rory smiled back at her daughter. "Partly. Besides that, I started a degree there years ago, which shouldn't hurt, and besides that your father is an alumnus and makes fairly generous contributions from time to time. The purpose of that is actually to help you, should you decide to go to Yale, but I could probably use it to swing myself a class or two."

"That's why Dad still contributes? I thought it was just because that's what alumni did. Jeez, I can get into college on my own."

"I know that, and he knows that now, but a cushion never really hurts."

"I guess not. Well, that's good then. If you're really going to take journalism classes, maybe you can get back to writing. That'd be good; you could get onto the staff of a newspaper and fulfill your old dream. If that happened, I would be really happy you quit the DAR."

"Well, it does look like that's what I'm heading toward," Rory said, realizing it for the first time herself.

"That's so good, Mom. For so many reasons."

"I know it is," Rory said, not sure if Emma was thinking the same thing she was, but suspecting that she was.

Emma immediately ran up to her room when she got back to her house. She wasn't sure what she should do, but she was really excited. This was the closest her mother and grandmother had ever gotten to making up, and her mother had done it herself. Maybe Lorelai was right, they needed to do it on their own. Emma wished it hadn't taken them this long, but late was better than never.

She needed to call someone, but she didn't know who. Her first instinct was to call Lorelai, but she had to consider it. Should she let her mother finish the job? She had made it this far on her own. There wasn't really anything else Emma wanted to do though, and she wanted this resolved as soon as possible now that there was an end in sight. _The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel_, she thought, smiling to herself. A little push from Emma wouldn't hurt anything now, regardless of the past. Thinking again, her past meddling hadn't really hurt anything either, it just hadn't had the effect Emma had hoped.

Almost without thinking, she picked up her phone, sat on her bed and dialed, as she had done so many times before. "Hello?" the voice that had answered the phone so many times before said.

"Lorelai!" Emma was so excited she was almost out of breath. "Mom quit the DAR!"  
"Okay…" Lorelai trailed off, only able to guess what Emma was getting at.

Emma took a few deep breaths, trying desperately to calm down so that she could get her story through as she wanted it. "Okay," she said, regaining sanity. "So I get in the car, right?" she said, using very teenage-sounding un-Emma sentence structure in her excitement.

"Right, continue."

"She tells me she quit the DAR. So I was like… Wait, hold on Lorelai." Realizing she sounded dumb and unlike herself, Emma paused again, trying to gather herself again. "Okay, I'm back. Here I go."

"I'm listening."

"So my first instinct was, why did she quit the DAR? You have to understand, that's pretty much what she does with her life. She has a few other things, but really not much. Sophia takes care of most of the housekeeping stuff, and she's so good Mom doesn't really have to do anything to keep up with her. I thought she was going to switch over to spending all of her days watching daytime soap operas. I wouldn't let her do that of course, I told her that if that was what she was going to do, I would sign her back up with the DAR myself."

"Right, sure," Lorelai said, more to show Emma she was listening than anything else.

"Apparently she had a better idea. I didn't think she did, but she does. I've actually either been giving her less credit than she deserves, or she's changing. She's acting more like the Rory I've heard about. She wants to take journalism classes at Yale. I think it's going to work, too. Then she's going to join a newspaper staff and end up fulfilling her old dream."

Lorelai was silent. Emma wished she could see her face. "Good," she finally said. Emma had been hoping for a better reaction, but she let it go. She guessed it must have been a bit of a shock to Lorelai. She really wasn't expecting what came next. Lorelai hang up without saying goodbye.

Lorelai wasn't sure she should have hung up on Emma like she had. She was by no means angry with her, in fact she was truly happy with the news Emma had given her. She had hung up not in anger, but shock. She never thought she would hear what Emma had just told her. Almost immediately, she started dialing. She and her daughter had always kept each other's current cell phone numbers in case of an emergency. Even though they had barely spoken, they always found a way to inform each other when their numbers changed, usually through Lane. She knew Rory would have her cell phone on and with her as she had taught her to. Lorelai didn't want to call her daughter on her house phone because more likely than not, Emma would pick up, and she wanted immediate direct contact.

"Hello?" Lorelai's heart skipped a beat. It had been far too long since she had heard that voice.

Taking a deep breath, Lorelai said, "It's about time."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had missed that voice for what seemed like the bulk of her life. That voice brought back memories; they came flooding into her head as if a dam built long ago had finally broken. She found herself unable to speak. She searched for her voice, wanting, needing to say something, but not being able to say a word. The voice on the other end was either being very patient or very stubborn. After a pause seeming to last an eternity, she didn't hang up. Taking a few deep breaths and finally finding her voice, although her throat ached, Rory managed to whisper, "Mom?"

Now the voice on the other end seemed to lose her voice for a moment. It didn't take her long to regain it, though. "Is it true?" she asked, as if she was trying to conserve words.

"Did you talk to Emma?" Rory asked, voice weak and trembling slightly. She was almost sure of the answer. That was why Lorelai had called.

"Are we playing the game where you can only speak in questions?"

Rory laughed ever so slightly. This was such a characteristic response. She had missed this kind of banter. Sort of trying to keep it going without completely realizing it, she said, "I don't know, are we?"

"No." Lorelai's voice was quiet and slightly strained, like Rory's was, but full of emotion. "And yes, I did talk to Emma."

"It's true," Rory said, her voice coming a little stronger than before. "I quit the DAR, and I'm going to try to take journalism classes at Yale. Anything else Emma told you was probably true too."

"You did it babe," Lorelai said. "You finally did it. This is what was supposed to happen." Lorelai's voice wavered a little.

"I know," Rory said in a voice very similar to the one Lorelai was using. "I missed you, Mom."

"I missed you too, baby," Lorelai said.

A short moment of silence followed, and then they said, at the exact same time, "I'm coming over." They laughed a little, and then Lorelai spoke again.

"I've never been to your house."

"I haven't been to yours in way too long."

"An hour ago?"

"That doesn't count. I didn't go inside."

"I've never even been outside your house."

"You don't know how to get here."

"You could give me directions."

"I want to see Luke, I miss him too."

"I want Emma to be there."

"I could bring Emma."

"I could bring Luke."

"Touché." Rory had missed these rapid-fire conversations. She had had similar conversations with Emma, but it was somehow a little different.

"I'm coming over!" Lorelai finally said sternly, and Rory heard the phone hang up.

"I suppose that settles it," Rory said quietly to herself. She went into the bathroom to try to clear the tears from her face, but it wasn't much use. More tears kept falling, and Rory felt that her tear ducts were presently out of her control.

She took a deep breath and smiled. She was happier than she had been in a long time. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them again with a satisfied sigh. The tears kept coming, although in smaller quantity. She went to the foot of the stairs and called for her daughter. "Emma!" Her voice came through surprisingly strong, and loud enough for Emma to hear her.

Emma came running to the top of the stairs. Her stance and facial expression told Rory she was listening, although she said nothing.

"Lorelai's coming over," Rory said with a watery smile.

"To see… me?" Emma asked, although her face told Rory she knew why she was coming over. She looked excited, although like she was trying not to get her hopes up.

"No," Rory said.

"Did you guys…" Emma trailed off, as if asking the full question might jinx it.

Rory's smile broadened and she nodded her head. "Yea," she almost whispered.

Emma let out a high-pitched girlish squeal and jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "It's about time!" she squealed. She hugged Rory, spun around in a circle excitedly, and started running back up the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Rory asked.

"I'm going to leave you guys alone for a few minutes. Don't worry, I'll be down."

"She's not here yet."

"I know, but I don't need to be down here when she gets here."

"There's nothing wrong with you being here."

"I know… But there's nothing wrong with me being up there either." With that, she ran up the stairs, giving Rory no time for further interrogation.

In all her memory, she couldn't remember ever taking a happier drive. She had called Emma for directions, and was on her way to her house. She'd known Emma for awhile, but had never been to her house. Now she was on her way and couldn't be happier, although for the first time in awhile, Emma wasn't the cause of her happiness.

She caught herself thinking about a time she didn't normally like to think about. There was a period of time, brief, but not brief enough, when she and Luke were broken up. She remembered Sookie telling her a story about a couple who were perfect for each other, but somehow went their separate ways. They married different people and had complete lives without the other person. Eventually their spouses died and they found each other again.

She smiled a little as she remembered. Her reaction to the story wasn't what Sookie had hoped. She had said it was a terrible story, and that they ended up together, but all they had was an ending. She had said she wanted a middle. As happy as she presently was, she couldn't help thinking that she and Rory had lost their middle.

Unable to come up with a solution, she made a resolution. _We'll just have to make up for our lost middle. We'll be closer than ever and see each other enough to make up for what we lost._ It made sense. _And now we have Emma to join in all of our crazy traditions._ This thought pleased Lorelai even more. She loved her granddaughter.

As she got closer to Rory's house, she saw fat snowflakes start falling from the sky. It was early March, but in Connecticut they sometimes got snow that time of year. She smiled again. Everything was good, this day was perfect. Even the clouds knew it. She couldn't help thinking that considering it was a perfect day, she had spent an awful lot of time crying. This thought made her smile, and she realized there were a lot of different ways something could be perfect.

Lorelai walked up to the door among the puffy snowflakes. The house was huge, but different from her parents' house in so many ways. It looked far more inviting, and at least to Lorelai, looked somehow pretty and quaint rather than intimidating. She rang the bell and the door opened almost instantly.

Rory saw her standing in the doorway, a sight she never thought she'd see. They hugged even before Lorelai stepped inside. As they walked inside, they said in unison, "I missed you."

They were both crying again, but small tears of pure joy. A few moments passed in silence, and then a few times they both started talking at the same time. Finally they both ended up saying, "I'm sorry" in unison.

"Neither one of us should have let it go this long," Lorelai said.

"I know, you're right. But it's good now. It's all good."

"Yea. It's good."

A slight silence followed, and Emma came down the stairs. She hugged both of them. "Finally!" she said. She couldn't believe it had finally happened. She had been working toward this since she met Lorelai, and it had finally happened. "We're going to have a party," Emma proclaimed. "I know it sounds cheesy, but we are. We're going to invite everyone any of us know and have a big party."

"I'm not objecting," Lorelai said. "That would be fun."

Rory said nothing, but seemed to agree because she kept nodding her head.

"We should have it in Star's Hollow," Emma said. "That would be fun."

"My house," Lorelai said. "We've had so many parties there, it should work nicely."

"It's a deal," Emma said. "But not now. I think you guys still have some catching up to do."

"Twenty years worth," Rory said, almost sadly.

"I think we can handle it," Lorelai said.

Emma ran upstairs again, trying to let Lorelai and Rory talk without her.

They went into Rory's fairly massive, but comfortable and welcoming, living room and sat down on the big couch that Lorelai found much more comfortable than her own. As much catching up as they had to do, neither of them could think of a good way to get it started. Breaking a brief silence, Rory said with a laugh, "What do you think of Emma?"

"I love her, she's great," Lorelai said. "She's so much fun, and she's really smart. She reminds me of you when you were her age."

"Really? She's always reminded me of you."

"I don't know, Chilton, perfect grades, perfect boyfriend, mature but a little naïve, it pretty much sounds like you at sixteen to me."

"She's not afraid to say anything, she's excellent with people, she has your hair," with this, Lorelai played with her hair a little, trying to show it off. Rory rolled her eyes and continued, "She has your amazing talent to be annoying and funny at the same time, your odd sense of humor, and she looks like you."

"So I win?"

"I guess so."

"Good."

"You know, in twenty years you haven't changed at all," Rory said, meaning it as a compliment.

"Neither have you," Lorelai said, happy that this was true. A moment later, as a totally separate thought, Lorelai said, "Hey, let's make history tonight."

"How?" Rory was excited, but wary. She remembered Lorelai's odd schemes as clearly as if she had combated one of them the day before.

"We're going to have the first ever triple generation Gilmore women movie night."

"You do know that Emma isn't a Gilmore."

"She's as much a Gilmore as I am, trust me."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Lorelai stayed a few hours later. She, Emma, and Rory talked out for awhile and just hung out, all enjoying the fact that the three of them were together. Logan came home around six. He went into the living room to find the three girls laughing about something.

"Lorelai," he said. "Haven't seen you here in awhile." The comment had been meant to sound casual, but it didn't. He looked a little beyond surprised, shocked maybe, and oddly uncomfortable in his own home.

"Yea, I've been a bit of a stranger, but I'm here now," Lorelai said, trying to sound casual herself, and having far more success than Logan.

"Well, uh, happy to have you here," he said, not looking as if he meant it. He went out of the room and up the stairs. Rory walked out of the room a few moments later.

"I'll be right back," was all that she said. She ran up the stairs and into her bedroom to find Logan changing out of his work clothes.

"I didn't think you were talking to her," he asked as he saw Rory enter the room.

"I am now," she said, smiling.

"Well, I guess that's a good thing."

"Yea. It is." Rory smiled a little distantly.

"Well, happy you're happy."

"You don't look happy." It didn't take Emma to read Logan's face. It was clear that he was trying to force happiness, and it wasn't working as well as he might have hoped.

"I'm happy," he said, forcing the words and a smile out for Rory.

"No you're not. Why aren't you?"

"I don't know Ace, she ignored you for, what, almost twenty years? Now she's suddenly back? Sounds a little strange to me."

"She was trying to do what she thought was best for me."

"Well I don't think it worked too well, did it? You were miserable for years. You thought you hid it, but you didn't. Come on Ace, why's she back?"

"It was as much, or more, my fault as it was hers. I shouldn't have dropped out of Yale mostly, or any of those other stupid things."

"Am I one of those stupid things?"

"No Logan, no, you're not. The yacht, which was my idea and my fault, was one of those stupid things."

"That's ancient history, stop thinking about it."

"Okay. But I do regret dropping out of Yale and never going back like I had planned. And I'm bored Logan, really bored. I dropped out of the DAR."

"Quitting forms of social engagement always seems to combat boredom."

"Well, I'm going to take classes, journalism classes, at Yale now instead. I'm hoping that eventually I can get on a newspaper staff. That'll give me something to do. Especially now that Emma's older and I don't have to take care of her like I used to."

"Sophia did a lot of Emma's caretaking when she was younger anyway."

"Yea, but…" Rory sighed exasperatedly.

"I know, I get it. I think that's great, Ace."

"Emma told Lorelai, and she called me. She said it was great that I was turning my life around. I think she likes that I'm becoming independent like she tried to teach me to be, and doing something I think I'll really enjoy."

"That's great. I still think it's weird she just popped up again out of the blue."

"It's mostly Emma's doing. We both missed each other a lot. Can you understand that? When Emma met Lorelai, she realized how much we missed each other, and reminded us."

"I can understand that, sort of anyway. I still don't understand how you can be that close to one of your parents, but I know how close you two were. So I get it, sort of."

"That's good enough for me," Rory said. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and went back downstairs.

"Ready to head back to Star's Hollow to catch a movie?" Lorelai asked as Rory reentered the living room.

"Yea, I'm ready. I'll take my car so Emma and I can get home afterward and you don't have to drive us back."

"Sounds good."

"Who am I riding with?" Emma asked as a general question.

"Who do you want to ride with?" Rory asked.

"I guess I'll ride with Lorelai. I get to ride back with you, Mom."

"Okay," Lorelai said. "Let's go."

"I can't believe you guys are talking again! Finally! This is going to be great, you guys will be so happy," Emma said to Lorelai as they drove to Star's Hollow.

"I think you're right. You've never known us together, huh?"

"Nope."

"It's great. It was great. I hope it's still great."

"If you guys had a relationship as great as I've heard, it'll still be just as good. I don't think a couple of years apart could have changed a relationship as strong as yours."

"I hope you're right."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, it almost seems too good to be true. We haven't talked in sixteen plus years, more than that really, and now all of a sudden we're talking again. It seems like something has to go wrong, nothing's that perfect."

"I think you're wrong."

"I hope you're right." Lorelai pulled up in her driveway, and saw Rory's BMW pull in behind her. "That's a nice car you have there," Lorelai said as they all got out.

"Yea, well," she said almost sarcastically. "That's the benefit to having a rich husband."

"Maybe I should marry rich," Lorelai said in mock thought. "Oh, wait, too late, already taken. I knew I shouldn't have got married," she said sarcastically.

"Speaking of which, are we going to stop by Luke's? I want to see him."

"We can if you want. We need to stop at Doose's for movie food."

"Of course," Rory said, as if she had just done this the day before.

"So Luke's first?"

"Luke's first."

Emma just watched, being uncharacteristically quiet. She was enjoying just watching the two of them interact. It truly did seem like nothing had happened between them. Emma thought it was amazing that their relationship was so incredible that it could stand a fight that huge and that long, although she had had a feeling it could. This experience seemed to confirm her suspicion.

The trio walked to Luke's from Lorelai's, and were greeted upon entry by a large group of Star's Hollow locals. Emma recognized Kirk, Lulu, Taylor, Miss Patty and Babette.

"Rory!" Miss Patty was the first to speak. "What are you doing here? Are you two…" she pointed at Lorelai.

"Yes we are, and I'm back," she said proudly.

"Well, we're happy to have you back," Patty said with a motherly tone in her voice.

"Thanks, happy to be back," Rory said.

"Free ice cream for everyone!" Taylor proclaimed. He seemed to think better of it, and corrected himself. "By everyone, I mean the three of you." Many people in the diner sighed, almost as if they had expected this. "Oh, and by free, I meant you get a thirty, erm, twenty percent discount."

"Thanks Taylor," Rory said, laughing.

"Let's sit at the counter," Lorelai said.

"Sounds good to me," Rory said. The three girls went and sat at the counter. Luke came out of the kitchen a few minutes later.

He looked bored as Emma had noticed he often did at work, although he seemed to like it to some extent. He went over to Lorelai and said routinely, "Coffee? What else?" Then he seemed to do a double take as he saw Rory sitting beside Lorelai. "Rory? Coffee?" He asked, but with a tone that was much less routine than the question.

"Yes, coffee. I'm back, Luke."

It seemed to be all she needed to say. He immediately got it and smiled. "Happy to have you," he said in a voice softer than his diner voice, and almost fatherly.

"Coffee, Emma?"

"Yep." Emma could tell Luke was a little distracted, because he didn't complain or try to talk any of them, even Emma, into choosing a more healthful beverage.

Luke set the mugs on the counter in front of each of them and asked them what else they wanted.

"Nothing else," Lorelai said. "We're going to a movie, we just wanted to stop in and say hi."

"Well, I'm glad you did," he said. "Good to see you again, Rory."

"I missed you, Luke," Rory said.

"I missed you too, Rory," Luke said. Emma was amazed. That was such an un-Luke thing to say.

"We should get going soon so we don't miss the movie," Lorelai said after a brief moment.

"Where you girls headed to?" Luke asked.

"Doose's for food, then to BWR for a movie."

"Girls thing?" Luke asked, sounding almost as if he wanted to accompany them. Emma figured that like her, he wanted to see Lorelai and Rory together again.

"Yea," Lorelai said. "Girls thing."

"I'm assuming you're going to Doose's to buy a lot of things I wouldn't approve of?"

"Exactly."

"Have fun," he said, seeming to accept that no amount of pleading would stop this from happening.

"See ya," Lorelai said, standing up. Rory and Emma stood up too, said goodbye to Luke as he and Lorelai exchanged a quick over-the-counter kiss, and they headed over to Doose's.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

"I think we've outdone ourselves this time," Rory said as they sat in the BWR movie theater with two grocery bags full of junk food. "I'm amazed Kirk let us in."

"Oh, he gave up on me years ago. I've snuck food in for so many years that by the time he found out, there was nothing he could do about it. Plus, I'm friends with his wife."

"You and Lulu are friends?" Rory asked, giving Lorelai an almost amused look. "She's nice and all, but the two of you never exactly fit the description of friends."

"Well, not really, but Kirk doesn't have to know that."

Rory kept the look, but must have decided that there was no point in making a comment. "This is more candy than I've seen in one place in years."

"Hey, this is our grand reunion movie night. We need all the food we can get. Plus, we have a movie night initiation," Lorelai said, indicating Emma. "Definitely calls for junk food. In fact, I'm not sure we bought enough. Go get popcorn. And drinks," Lorelai said, handing Rory a ten dollar bill.

"Why do I get the food?" Rory asked, not really caring, but asking the question anyway.

"Because I'm buried in food, and if I move we'll have the biggest candy flood of the century."

"Fair enough. Rory got up to get the food Lorelai had requested.

"What are we watching?" Emma asked Lorelai.

"I believe it's Pippi Longstocking tonight. Classic, wouldn't you agree?"

"I don't believe I've seen it."

"You haven't seen Pippi Longstocking? How could you have never seen Pippi Longstocking?" Lorelai kicked off a full-scale Luke-style rant. "How could your mother not have made sure you saw Pippi Longstocking? This is one of the best movies ever, and you've never seen it. This is just wrong." Rory chose a very bad moment to return with popcorn and drinks. Before she said anything, she was verbally attacked by Lorelai. "She's never seen Pippi Longstocking!" was suddenly the only thing she could say.

"Really?" Rory seemed not to realize this fact. "You haven't, Emma?"  
"Nope. I read the book when I was younger, though. I liked it."

Lorelai seemed to forgive Rory for never exposing her daughter to Pippi when she saw that it seemed to be purely accidental. Emma imagined that she was willing to easily forgive Rory so as to avoid another major blowout like the one they had only just recovered from. "The movie is so much, well I don't know that it's better, but it's great. It's time for us to once again rid the world of a Pippi virgin," Lorelai said, directing the last sentence toward Rory.

"What would the world do without us?" Rory asked, an appropriate response in Emma's eyes. She smiled, continually enjoying listening to the pair.

"I don't know, it's a scary thought," Lorelai said.

Emma noticed Kirk standing at the front of the room then, trying in vain to get the attention of the crowd at the theater, which consisted of Emma, Rory, and Lorelai. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?" Kirk tried to announce, but it sounded more like he was asking them a question.

"There aren't any gentlemen here, Kirk," Rory pointed out.

"Right," he said, trying without success to sound professional and move on. "Well, as you know, tonight we are showing Pippi Longstocking. Please don't use flash photography, and turn off your cell phones and refrain from talking, as it disturbs the other viewers, and deposit your trash in the proper receptacles on your way out." It sounded as if Kirk was reading aloud his grocery list rather than laying out the rules of the theater, although Emma guessed he'd done it hundreds of times. She found the comment about disturbing other viewers particularly amusing, as it was only the three of them in the theater.

Emma had a great time. She heard a good deal of movie commentary from Lorelai, which she always enjoyed, and even some from her mother, who was usually quiet during movies. She had always told Emma she liked to concentrate on the movie she was watching. Emma realized now that if she or Emma would have commented on movies they saw together, it would reminded Rory painfully of Lorelai.

She was happy she didn't have to worry about reminding either of them of the other anymore. They were back and, it seemed, as close as ever. She loved how they were close enough to recover from a fight as huge as theirs so quickly. Their bond was so special, so strong, that they were back to their old ways within an evening.

By the time the movie was over, the three of them had gone through almost all of the food, including three refills of popcorn. Lorelai assured Emma that she had the talent to eat like a true Gilmore, and told Rory that almost twenty years hadn't waned her eating talent one bit.

The next day was Monday. Emma had a relatively good day at school, but when she came home, grabbed the telephone book her mom kept stashed in a cupboard, went up to her room and sat on her bed. She opened the book, which listed the numbers of most of the people in Hartford and the surrounding area, and searched for the name she was looking for.

She finally found it: _Doose, Taylor._ She dialed the number beside his name, unsure that he would be at home at this time of day. He was either home, or the number listed was his cell phone, because he answered. "Taylor Doose here," he said, instead of hello. Emma imagined this greeting worked for customers of any of the many businesses he owned.

"Hi Taylor, this is Emma Huntzburger," she said, wondering if she'd have to say "Lorelai's granddaughter," as she sometimes had to when people didn't remember her.

She didn't however; Taylor seemed to know who she was. "Emma," he said. "Good to hear from you. When's the party?"

"What?" Emma asked, wondering how Taylor knew what she was calling about.

"Well, Lorelai and Rory are talking again after, what was it, almost twenty years? They're going to have a big party, if I know Lorelai."

"Well, yea, that's why I'm calling. It was my idea though, not hers. I'm sort of organizing it. I was wondering if we could have the Independence Hall for the event."

"Of course! That's a perfect place to host it."

"That's what I thought, but…"

"So, how long will you be needing it?" Taylor asked, immediately kicking into business mode. "Three hours? Four? Let's see, four hours would ordinarily come to four hundred dollars, but for you, I think I can knock it down to, say, three hundred and fifty?"

"See Taylor, that's the thing. You know how important this place is to Lorelai, and to my Mom, and, now, to me. We need this inn, uh, hall, for the party. It would be perfect."

"That's what I'm saying. Three hundred and fifty dollars. How will you be paying, cash or check? Or perhaps you have a credit or debit card you'll be using?"

"No, Taylor. See, being sixteen, I don't have that kind of money."

"Your family does," Taylor said, not bothering to be discreet or polite.

"This is my thing. I'm arranging this. I need it for free."

"I can't do that, Emma."

"Consider the event. Consider how many people in your town know Lorelai and Rory. That's how many people will be there. Consider the free advertising opportunities. I'll even bring in some potential customers from out of town. Think of all the brochures you could give away. Think of all the publicity for your many businesses. Think about setting up a booth where you could sell Star's Hollow merchandise. Maybe a 'Lorelai and Rory' T-shirt or two. Heck, I'd buy one."

Taylor seemed to consider this. "Okay, fine," he said after awhile. "I will tell you, you have your grandmother's persuasiveness. And I imagine you have her stubbornness as well, so I'm going to give in now."

"I do. Good move."

"I think I will set up that booth."

"Go for it."

"Are you sending invitations?"

"No, too slow. Word of mouth."

"Okay, but a nice invitation is much more personal."

"If I were sending invitations, you wouldn't be putting ads on them."

"It was worth a try. When is this function?"

"Next Saturday."

"Hmm, I don't know, that's awfully soon…"

"It's a party Taylor, not a wedding."

"Fine, it's open. What time do you need it?"

"Five. Until everyone leaves."

"That's an awfully vague bracket of time…"

"Taylor, I'm not paying for it, I don't need an exact time."

"Don't remind me."

"I'll see you Saturday, Taylor."

"Okay, goodbye, Emma."

"Bye, Taylor."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Emma wondered if she had heard the news. She almost doubted it. Lorelai might have told her, but she somehow didn't think she had. Emma couldn't believe they hadn't stopped to see her the previous night in Star's Hollow, but they hadn't. _I suppose they work together, so Lorelai probably told her._ That was true. Emma hoped she knew, but wouldn't mind telling her if she didn't.

She dialed the number on her phone. She'd dialed it before, it wasn't unfamiliar. The voice that picked up was very familiar. "Hello?"

Emma smiled automatically at the sound of the voice. Her voice always sounded cheerful. "Hi Sookie, it's Emma."

As usual, the sound of the voice sounded even more cheerful after hearing Emma's greeting. Emma thought, or maybe just hoped, Sookie's voice sounded happier than usual today. "Hi, Emma!" she said.

"Hey, did you hear the news?"  
"Yea! How about that? Our girls are finally back." The last statement sounded almost sentimental rather than enthusiastic.

"I know, it's so great. So, I was thinking…"

"We should have a big party!" Sookie interrupted enthusiastically. "It's been like twenty years, hasn't it? That would be fun!"

"That's what I was going to say," Emma said, more calmly than Sookie. "Except for I already mostly arranged it. It's going to be at the Independence Hall, perfect, huh?"

"Absolutely perfect!" Sookie said. "That's a great idea."

"I made Taylor give it to me for free. It wasn't easy, but I pulled it off."

"Wow. I'll give you extra points for that," Sookie said, sounding impressed.

"Now I just have to invite people. I don't really want to send out invitations, it takes too long."

"Call Miss Patty. She can probably get the word out to all of Star's Hollow in about a minute," Sookie said, laughing not just about Patty, but purely because she was genuinely happy.

"That's a good idea," Emma said. "Then I'd just have the out-of-town people to call."

"Who are you inviting from out of town?" Sookie asked. Her tone changed. "Are you inviting Emily and Richard?"  
Emma hadn't considered this. "I don't know." She paused, and asked, in a separate sentence, "Should I?"

"Well, they're Lorelai's parents, and Rory's grandparents, so, maybe. It's going to be kind of a big thing, isn't it?"

"Well yea," she considered. "I hadn't thought about them. I only see them once or twice a year. I don't know, maybe I should invite them."

"It's up to you. This is kind of your thing."

"I guess it is."

"So who else are you inviting from out of town?"

"Well, mostly my people. Alex, Adriane, I figured I'd invite them. Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Yea, why not? Introduce them to Star's Hollow. It's a good opportunity to do that, if you don't think you'll be too busy with everyone else to talk to them."

"I think I can find the time. Besides, they can fend for themselves otherwise. Alex has already met Kirk, there's a lifelong pal right there."

"That's true," Sookie said, laughing. "I still can't believe you introduced him to Kirk before me," she said, pretending to be offended.

"Well, he was just kind of there. Given the choice, it would have been you."

"Good. I'm happy to know I rank above Kirk. That's probably the best compliment I've heard all day."

"Well, don't you feel special."

"Yea, I guess," Sookie was laughing again. Emma wasn't sure she had ever stopped.

"Okay, you're probably supposed to be cooking or something," Emma said. "I should probably let you go."

"I can cook and talk at the same time."

"In that case, I really have to hang up, for the safety of you, all you kitchen staff, equipment, and the phone you're talking on."

"Wow, I can tell you have confidence in my professional ability."  
"You professional ability doesn't worry me, just your klutz-factor."

"Okay, I'll hang up."

"Oh wait, one more thing. Will you cater the party?"

"You mean would I let anyone else cater the party? The answer is no."

"Thanks so much. Talk to you later, I'm sure."

"Okay, bye, Emma."

"Bye Sookie." Emma hung up, looked again in the phone book, and immediately started dialing the number of Miss Patty's studio.

"Hello?" Emma liked Miss Patty's voice. It was low, but somehow feminine.

"Hi Patty, it's Emma." She wasn't sure if Miss Patty would know the name immediately, but she did.

"Hi Emma, what can I do for you?"

"Well I'm sure you heard, Lorelai and Rory…"

"Yes, I heard, they're back together. That's great."

"Well, the party's on Saturday. It's at the Independence Hall at five o' clock. Could you spread it around?"

"I'd be happy to, sweetheart. I'll see you then."

"See ya." Now all she had left were Alex and Adriane, plus maybe Emily and Richard. She hadn't decided about them yet. She did know one thing; she wasn't inviting her father's parents. Her own parents didn't even like them, and Emma was pretty sure Lorelai hated them. So she didn't have to worry about that. She decided to call Alex first; he would be the easiest since Adriane probably wasn't home from swim practice yet.

She dialed, and he picked up. She was happy about that; she didn't like to always have to go through his parents. "Hello?"

"Hi Alex, it's me." She knew he knew her voice.

"Hey, Emma. I haven't called you in awhile, have I?" She could tell from his voice that he felt bad about this.

"No, it's not a big deal though. I see you in school all the time."

"I know. Still…"

"Well anyway," Emma stressed the last word, trying to get to the reason she called.

"Sorry. Did you call for a reason?"

"Yea, I actually did," Emma smiled a little. "How would you like to come to a Star's Hollow party?"

"That sounds cool. What's the party for?"

Emma realized with regret that she had never told Alex about the fight between her mother and grandmother. He was in for a long story.

"Wow. That's actually a really long story."

"Well, hadn't you better tell me if you expect me to go to this party?" Alex asked, apparently thinking that Emma wasn't going to tell him it.

"Yea, I'll tell you," Emma said. "As long as you have a few minutes."

"I think I can sacrifice a few homework minutes for you," he said. This made Emma smile. She liked something about the way he had said it.

"Okay, well, my mom and grandma had a big fight. I mean huge, I don't think you can imagine how big it was."

"Okay," Alex said, as if to confirm for Emma that he was following.

"I guess you need to know first, before I was born, they used to be super close. They were pretty much the truest definition of best friends."

"That's cool."

"Yea, well, it was, but a few years before I was born, they had this huge fight."  
"What were they fighting about?"

"My mom apparently screwed up. A whole bunch of times, apparently. She was really smart, she was going to Yale. So then she got this internship with," Emma paused, thinking, "My grandfather," she continued, having sorted out the relationship. "He told her she didn't have what it took to be a journalist, and she believed him. Mistake number one."

"He sounds like a jerk."

"I guess he was, or is, I've only met him like twice?" she said, saying the word 'twice' like a question, thinking about how many times she had met her other grandparents. "Anyway, yea. So my mom freaked out, and met my dad, although they weren't married yet, at some kind of party. Apparently they stole a yacht on impulse, and got arrested, big surprise."

"Mistake number two?"

"Exactly. But even after all that, bailing my mom out of jail and everything, they were still as close as ever. Then I guess my mom really thought about what my grandfather had told her, freaked out all over again, and dropped out of Yale. I guess she planned to go back, but she never did."

"Mistake number three."

"Yep. That's when Lorelai stopped talking to her. I guess she sort of promised herself she wouldn't talk to my mom until she got her life straightened out."

"Wow."

"Yea. I've been trying to get them back together since I met Lorelai, which I might mention was this year…"

"Wait, this year? You're kidding."

"Nope. I guess they had an agreement that I would get to meet her on the day after my sixteenth birthday. That's when I met her."

"The two of you are really close, aren't you?"

"Yea, extremely."

"That's amazing if you've known each other less than a year."

"I know it is. We're sort of soul mates, I guess. Can your grandmother be your soul mate?"

"I guess so."

"Well, then I guess that would fit our description. Anyway, my mom just sort of 'turned her life around' by Lorelai's definition. She quit the DAR…"

"The what?"

Emma loved how Alex didn't know what the DAR was. It was second nature to her and most of Chilton. "Daughters of the American Revolution. Translation, snotty rich women's association."

"I've met your mom, she doesn't seem like that."

"She isn't. That's why she quit. Now she's going to take journalism classes, that was her major in college, journalism. She'll take them at Yale, if she can, and join a newspaper staff. Lorelai's happy with that, and so now they're talking again. It's great, they seem as close as ever. Took long enough though, almost twenty years."

"So that's what the party's about?"

"That's what the party's about."

"Wow."

"Yep."

"You really don't have 'just because' parties in Star's Hollow, do you? That would have been much easier to explain."

"Well, not really. We have so many odd celebrations that if we had 'just because' parties, we'd never stop partying." Emma loved referring to herself as part of Star's Hollow. She loved that Alex referred to her as part of Star's Hollow.

"Do you ever stop partying anyway?"

"Not really. Every now and then we do."


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

She felt a little weird doing it, but she couldn't help thinking that she had to. In her mind, she kept going over the situation. She liked her great-grandparents, and she knew that, in a way, she was lucky. Most people her age didn't have their great-grandparents still alive. Many of the people her age didn't even have their grandparents. So many years later, Emma was still feeling the benefits of Lorelai's bad decision: a young family.

But should she call Emily and Richard? Her instinct was yes, but when she thought about it, she wasn't so sure. She knew her mother would want them there, but she didn't know about Lorelai. As little as she knew about the relationship of Lorelai and her parents, she sensed that trying to get them to put aside their differences, as she had done for her mother and grandmother, would be going too far.

Still, she thought that she should invite them. Quickly, she grabbed her phone and dialed their number before she had time to change her mind. The sound of the phone ringing made her nervous. She didn't know when the last time she had called them was. She knew she should call more often. Her mother called a few times a week, and Emma had always felt that was enough, but maybe it wasn't. She knew Emily would like to hear from her more often than she did.

"Hello?" a voice answered that Emma didn't recognize. One major difference that Emma had always recognized between Rory and Emily was that Emily had a different maid nearly every week, while Rory had always had Sophia.

"Hi," Emma said, more in instinct and nervousness than for any real reason. "Um, may I please speak with Emily?"

"One moment, please." Emma didn't know whether Emily's maids knew that, in all reality, they probably wouldn't work for her long, but she was always surprised by how phenomenally polite they always were.

Emma heard her great-grandmother's voice a moment later. "Hello?" Emily was an older woman, but Emma always got the feeling that her voice hadn't changed in decades. It was strong and low pitched, yet feminine.

"Hey, Grandma, it's Emma." Although she was technically her great-grandmother, Emma had always called Emily "grandma" because it was shorter to say. It was believable that Emily was Emma's grandmother anyway; she was about the right age to be.

"Emma! How lovely to hear from you!" She said it with genuine enthusiasm, but somehow Emma had the feeling that she would have been more sincere to say, "What do you want?"

"So, Mom and Lorelai are talking again," Emma said, attempting to sound as if she was making casual conversation.

"I know, you mother told me," Emily said, clearly stressing the "your mother" as if she would have preferred to hear it from somebody else.

"That's great, isn't it," Emma said, not really asking as a question, but posing a general statement.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Emily said in her proper old-lady fashion.

"Well, I'm having a little party for them on Saturday, and I was wondering if you and grandpa wanted to come?" Emma knew that a "little party" was not at all an adequate description of what was going to go on, it would be more of an all-out bash, but "little party" worked better for her purposes.

"Oh," Emily said, sounding surprised. There was a brief pause, and then she spoke again. "We would be delighted to come. What time is it?"

"It's at five o' clock at the Independence Hall in Star's Hollow. The one that used to be an inn."

"Oh." Emily had a strange sound to her voice, as if either the time or place had made her reconsider. Emma soon got her answer as to which it was. "Why in Star's Hollow? You live in Hartford, and so do we."

"I know, but Lorelai lives in Star's Hollow, and so do a lot of the people who are going. Plus the inn means a lot to Mom and Lorelai, so I thought it would be an appropriate place."

Emma got the feeling that she shouldn't have said something that she had. She didn't know what it was, but she didn't like Emily's reaction. "Young lady, do you really think it is appropriate to refer to your grandmother by her first name? It's disrespectful."

"Grandma, she asked me to call her Lorelai. Besides, I already call you grandma, it would be confusing." Emma wasn't sure why Emily had brought this up, but she had a feeling she was upset about something else.

Emily didn't seem to know what to say. She ended up ending the conversation abruptly. "Fine. We'll be there. I'll see you then." She hung up without waiting for Emma to say goodbye.

Wondering what she had said wrong, Emma went back to her homework. Nearly an hour later, although not yet finished, Emma decided to call Adriane. As she dialed, she realized how long it had been since she had talked to her best friend. She had been preoccupied with other things, and had almost forgotten about Adriane. She felt badly, and vowed not to let this happen again.

"Hello?" Emma recognized her friend's soft voice. Adriane, unlike Emma, was soft-spoken and fairly quiet.

"Hey, it's Emma. Good, you're home."

"Hi!" Adriane sounded happy to hear from her friend. "Just got back half an hour ago," Adriane said, referring to swim practice.

"Good. I haven't talked to you in way too long."

"I know, I should have called."

"I know, I should have too."

"Well, you called now, so we're good."

"I guess so. What's new?" Emma asked, wanting to talk to her friend a little before jumping into the reason she called.

"Not a bunch. Swimming, homework, sleep. The usual drill."

"Sounds about right."

"How's Alex?" Emma could hear Adriane smiling. She had called her a few times and filled her in on the basic things, so she wouldn't have to explain about Alex or about Lorelai and Rory to her. That was definitely a good thing; she was getting tired of explaining.

"He's good." Emma answered simply.

"That's good. How about Lorelai, is she good?"

"Yep, she's good. She and my mom finally made up. It's been completely amazing."

"Really? That's so cool!" Adriane sounded nearly as excited as Emma had been. Emma supposed she had heard enough about it to really understand the situation.

"Yea, I'm so happy. I'm having a party for them on Saturday, it's going to be a huge thing, and pretty much everyone any of us know is going to be there. Want to come? You can finally meet Lorelai and Luke, and everyone else from Star's Hollow." Emma knew that Adriane didn't love huge parties, mingling wasn't her thing, but she really wanted her to come, and she thought she'd want to meet Lorelai.

"Yea, I'd love to go. What time is it?" Emma could tell that Adriane really did want to go; she could hear it in her voice.

"Great. It's at five, in Star's Hollow. Just come to my house, you can come with my mom and I. Alex might come with us too, you know him already, don't you?"

"Yea, he swam with me awhile. I liked him alright, he was pretty nice. He was pretty quiet though, like me, so we didn't talk much."

"Sounds like him, and you."

"Yep. Okay, let me check with my mom about Saturday, but she shouldn't care, I don't think I'm doing anything on Saturday anyway. I have swimming lessons in the morning, but they'll be long over by five."

"Are you ever not at the pool?"

"Uh, when I'm at school, when I'm doing my homework, when I'm sleeping, and occasionally when I'm with you."

"Sounds about right."

"We get a break soon, though. Before Spring session starts."

"Good, I anticipate seeing a lot more of you then."

"You should, don't try to keep me away."

"Well, I might, you know I don't like you very much."

"Then why did you call me?"

"Don't you have to ask your mom?"

"Why? You don't like me; you don't want me to come anyway."

"Shut up. Go ask," Emma said, laughing.

Emma heard Adriane go downstairs and heard her talking to her mom in the background. "Mom, can I go to a party with Emma on Saturday?"

"Where is it?" Adriane's mother's voice was fainter, but Emma could still hear it.

"Her grandma's town, Star's Hollow."

"What time?"

"Five."

Emma heard nothing for a moment, and then Adriane's mom spoke again. "Yea, I don't see why not. You need to get directions though, I don't know how to get there."

"I'm going to Emma's first and riding with her and her mom."

"That's fine then."

Adriane was talking to Emma again. "She says that's fine."

"Great. Tell her I said hi."

"Emma says hi."

"Hi, Emma."

"She says 'hi, Emma'."

"Cool. Okay, I have to do my homework, and I'm betting you do too, so I'll see you on Saturday."

"Yes you will. Bye."

"See ya." Emma hung up and reluctantly went back to her homework. As good of a student as she was, sometimes she just didn't feel like doing it.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Emma sat on the couch in her living room beside Alex. They were talking about school, and whatever else came to mind. Emma smiled to herself, thinking that many couples she knew of would be joined at the mouth as though by magnets, but her relationship with Alex wasn't like that at all. Neither she nor Alex had that type of personality, and Emma wasn't only content but very happy with having only kissed Alex once.

The doorbell rang, and Emma stood up, saying "That's probably Adriane." She walked over to the door and pulled it open. There stood a girl a little shorter and stockier than Emma, although by no means overweight. Her shoulders were much broader than the average girl her age due to muscle gained by swimming. Her hair was straight and naturally a dark shade of blonde, but had been highlighted to a lighter shade. Many people thought this was strange, considering how often she was in and out of the pool, but she hadn't ever had problems with it. The top layer of her hair was pulled back in the same style that Emma currently sported with her curly dark hair. She wore jeans and a green t-shirt which accented the green in her eyes, although she hadn't noticed that when she put it on. She wore a silver chain around her neck with a star-shaped charm hanging off of it, and her earrings were small matching silver stars. She wore a clump of silver bangle bracelets with tiny silver stars hanging from them. Seeing her best friend for the first time in too long, Emma immediately hugged her gently.

"Hiya," Adriane said naturally.

"Hi! Alex is in the other room, come on." Emma walked into the living room, followed by Adriane.

"Hi Adriane," Alex said politely.

"Hey Alex," Adriane responded.

The three sat down and talked a little like the old friends they were, the other two mostly talking to Emma. Not ten minutes later, Rory entered the room.

"Hi Alex, Adriane," she greeted them. "Ready to go?"

"Yep," Emma responded for the three of them. "When you are."

"I'm ready, let's go." Rory was dressed fairly casually, but Emma could tell she was trying to make a good impression all over again for the people she knew so well, but hadn't seen in so long.

"Kay, let's go. Emma stood, and Alex and Adriane followed her out to her mother's car. The three of them sat in the back seat, Emma in the middle. Once in the car, Emma focused on prepping Adriane for Star's Hollow.

"You're going to love it, I swear," she told her friend, her voice reaching a speed even faster than normal in excitement. "You'll love Lorelai, and Luke, too. He's kind of quiet, pretty much opposite from Lorelai. I think you'll like him a lot if you talk to him a bit. Sookie too, you'll love Sookie. She's Lorelai's best friend. She's a chef, her food's wonderful. She's really sweet and bubbly, but not the annoying cheerleader type. Kirk's crazy, and Lulu, his wife, isn't much better. Taylor's crazy too, but in a different way. Don't pay too much attention to him, just humor him."

Adriane sat and listened to Emma's rant, smiling. She had heard much of what Emma was telling her more than once before, but didn't mind hearing it again. Emma ranted on about everyone in Star's Hollow she knew, trying to prepare Adriane as well as she could. Adriane appreciated it, but found it a little funny how Emma didn't even realize that she had told her most of these things before.

As they entered Star's Hollow, Emma said conclusively. "I think that's everything. We're pretty much here now." The car pulled into the parking lot beside the Independence Hall. "I love this building," Emma said.

"So do I," Rory interjected from the driver's seat. "It's pretty. I like the history of it, too. Lots of good memories."

"It is pretty," Adriane said.

"I'm feeling left out here," Alex said, mocking the other three. "Should I say it's pretty, too?"

"Not necessary," Emma said. "The last thing I need is a gay boyfriend."

"Okay, well in that case I'll just say that the architecture is very well crafted. That way I'm part of the group, but still a man."

"Very good," Emma approved.

"Shall we go in?" Rory asked. "Or at least get out of the car?"

"Yea, good plan," Emma said. Adriane and Alex opened their doors almost at the same time.

"Wow, you've really got this place packed. Did you call all these people?" Alex asked, looking around the parking lot at the many cars.

"Nope, just Patty."

"Wow. Small towns…"

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Emma asked. She was beyond pleased with the outcome, but in all honesty hadn't really expected anything less.

"It is," Adriane said. Emma realized that she wasn't yet accustomed to Star's Hollow, as was Alex.

"I need to take you here more often," Emma told her best friend.

"Let's see how I like it first, huh?"

"You'll love it, I swear you will."

Adriane looked like she believed Emma. She was looking around, taking everything in, much like Emma remembered doing the first time she was in Star's Hollow, which, although only a few months ago, seemed like a lifetime ago.

The small group went inside, and was immediately engulfed in the flood. Emma tried to keep the outsiders close to her, but lost hope of staying with her mother almost immediately. Rory seemed the guest of honor; it seemed that every single person in the place wanted to talk to her first. The crowd thinned a little as Emma, Adriane and Alex made their way further into the building. "Let's try to find Lorelai," Emma said. Alex and Adriane nodded their agreement, and, oddly, the first one to spot her wasn't Emma, but Adriane, who had never even seen her.

"Emma, that her?" she asked, gently pulling on Emma's shirt.

"Yea," Emma said in surprise. "How'd you know that? You've never even seen her."

"I don't know, you've described her. She looks like you, but older." Emma had realized that there were similarities in the appearances of her and her grandmother, but until this moment, hadn't realized how similar the two of them really did look. Both in jeans and similar light blue t-shirts, Emma looked more that ever like a younger clone of Lorelai. Lorelai was talking animatedly with a Star's Hollow local that Emma recognized, but didn't know the name of.

Emma led the other two to Lorelai, and she turned toward them as the other man walked away. "Hi Emma, hello Alex. You must be Adriane," she said, smiling, in Adriane's direction.

"Yep, that's me," Adriane said from just behind Emma, stepping slightly to one side so that Lorelai could see her.

"Hi, Lorelai," Alex said. Emma liked how open he was becoming around her family and friends. It was nice, particularly considering that he was normally quiet to begin with.

"Patty really pulled through with the spreading of word, didn't she?" Emma commented.

"She certainly did," Lorelai said. "I don't think I've seen this many people in here since I worked here."

"That's pretty impressive. Looks like the whole town turned up."

"I think they did. Even Luke's here, and he hates this stuff."

"He hates town stuff, doesn't he? This isn't a town thing."

"Yea, but the whole town is here. Did you see Taylor's booth? It's like a carnival."

"Yea, but still, I could see him wanting to be here."

"Well, you're right. I didn't even have to persuade him."

"That's because he likes you," Emma said in a flirtatious voice that she had often heard Lorelai use. She glanced at Alex, who smiled back at her with a look as close to flirty as a guy could get without it being girly.

"Wow, you guys are cute," Lorelai said.

"What?" Emma asked.

"You're cute. Young love. It's cute."

"Sure, okay."

"You're just lucky I didn't include the part about the old Ford."

"That I am," Emma said, pretending to get what was inevitably some reference to something Emma hadn't heard of. "Where's Luke tonight? I want to introduce Adriane to him."

"He's around." Right on cue, Emma heard a bit of an eruption.

"Taylor, no! Why are you here anyway? Get out of here!"

"There he is," Lorelai told Emma.  
"Thanks, but I think I could have figured that out if I was blind and deaf."

"Hey, can't say I didn't answer your question."

"No you can't. I think I'll go see what's going on over there."

"I think I'll stay here," Lorelai said, her face saying that it would be a good idea for her to go and make sure Luke didn't kill Taylor, but that if he did, she wanted to watch. Her comment as Emma walked away, followed by Alex and Adriane, mirrored this expression: "But if it looks like Luke's going to throw something at Taylor, call me over!"

Emma heard Taylor retaliating as the three neared his booth. "I'm allowing this whole thing to happen, you cannot kick me out. This wouldn't be happening for free if it wasn't for me, and besides that, I have as much right to be here as you do!"  
"I wouldn't be so sure," Luke said, purely out of anger, backing up as though ready to hit Taylor, although Emma could tell he wouldn't. She made sure of this, however, by speaking to Luke.

"Hi Luke."

Luke turned around quickly and met Emma's eyes. He seemed to forget why he was yelling at Taylor, and Emma decided to go with that. She didn't really care why Luke was yelling, and figured it was more amusing left to her own imagination. She loved how her voice seemed to have magical power over Luke, bringing him back to reality. "Emma," he said, his voice suddenly the soft grandfatherly voice she was accustomed to.

"Hey Luke. You remember Alex."

He nodded, and Alex said, "Hi, Luke."

"And this is my best friend, Adriane," Emma said, as Adriane stepped to the side of Emma so that she could be seen right on cue.

"Adriane," he said, "I think I've heard about you."

"You probably have," Emma said.

Lorelai met them a moment later with Sookie.

"You must be Alex!" Sookie said excitedly. "I've seen the dance pictures, so that must be who you are."

"Yep, that's me." Alex smiled.

"And…" Sookie looked at Adriane. "I give up," she said, turning toward Emma. "Who's this?"

"This is Adriane, my best friend," Emma told her.

"Oh, that's right. I should have known that, I've heard about Adriane."

Adriane said nothing, but smiled shyly.

The same kind of conversation went on a little while within the small group. Lorelai was mid-sentence when Emma noticed her radar go up as she suddenly stopped talking. Listening more than looking, Emma heard two semi-familiar voices that explained the pause from Lorelai. _Shoot!_ She had meant to warn Lorelai that they were coming, but it had completely slipped her mind.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Emma couldn't believe that she had forgotten to tell Lorelai they were coming. She didn't know why it was so important, but she did know that Lorelai's past didn't lend itself to a great relationship with her parents, and watching Lorelai's face, she realized just how important is would have been to tell her. Unfortunately, it was too late.

"Why are my parents here?" Lorelai asked, almost to herself, in a voice lower in both pitch and volume than the voice Emma was used to hearing. "_Why_ are my parents here?" she asked again, out loud, her voice getting a little louder as she accented the first word. "Why are my _parents _here? Why are _my_ parents here?" Lorelai was beginning to sound like an elementary school kid experimenting with putting accents on different words. Lorelai turned directly to Emma, and asked, no longer as a general question, "Emma, why are my parents here?" She sounded almost panicky, unlike the almost frighteningly calm voice she had started the sequence in.

Emma wasn't sure if Lorelai was being overdramatic, which was typical of her, or not. By the tone of her voice, she had a feeling she wasn't being as overdramatic as Emma could have hoped. "I invited them," Emma said in a nervous tone. The last thing she needed was for Lorelai to be angry with her.

"Why-in-God's-name-did-you-do-that?" Lorelai said in almost a whisper, running all of the words together so that it came out very quickly. It didn't sound harsh, but still sounded panicky.

"Well," Emma said, her face twisting a little so that the bottoms of her eyes crinkled up nervously, "I figured they'd want to be here." Her face relaxed a little as she continued. "And I knew Mom would want them here…"

"Okay, so why on earth didn't you tell me they were coming?" Lorelai almost whined.

"I was going to," Emma said nervously, "it just kind of slipped my mind."

"Ah. Bad."

"Bad…"

Before Emma knew it, Emily was behind her. "Hello girls," she said with a strange coolness to her voice.

Turning around, Emma saw that Richard was beside Emily. "Hi Grandma, hi Grandpa!" Emma said enthusiastically.

"Hello Emma." Richard said, looking and sounding genuinely happy to see his great-granddaughter.

"So, Lorelai," Emily broke fourth immediately. "I haven't heard from you in awhile. How are things going? How's the inn?"

"Still standing," Lorelai said coolly, as if through clenched teeth.

"Well, that's good," said Emily. "How's Luke?" she asked, failing to notice that he was standing behind her.

"He's behind you," Lorelai said, rather than bothering to answer the question.

"Oh." Emily turned around. "Hello, Luke. How are you?"

"I'm good." Luke said, as if not quite knowing where the question had come from.

"Good. So Lorelai, what's new with you?"

"Nothing, Mom."

"Nothing? I haven't talked to you in person in, what, twenty years, and nothing has changed in your life? Not one thing? I find that hard to believe, Lorelai."

"Mom, you can't do this," Lorelai said painstakingly.

"What? What can't I do? I can't be here? Don't I have the right to see my daughter? I gave birth to you; I think I have the right to see you every few years."

"No, you can be here, you were invited, but you can't just waltz back into my life and expect everything to be normal. Just because Rory and I made up doesn't mean you and I did. You think I'm going to forget what you did, how you told me you were on my side, how you were going to help me get Rory back to Yale, and then turned around and did the opposite. You're the reason we have to have this stupid party! You're the reason Rory and I didn't talk for so many years. If you had done what you told me you were going to do, it would have been different. Everything would have been different."

"Do you really think so?" Emily asked coolly.

"Yes, I really think so." Emma had never seen either her grandmother or her great-grandmother like this. She had never heard either of them speak so coolly to anyone. She hated seeing both of their blatant dislike for one another. If Emma liked Lorelai better, she still liked them both. She was amazed by how vicious her great-grandmother was, she had never before seen this side of her.

"This is the perfect place for this little reunion, isn't it?" Emily said, not changing the subject, but taking a different angle, seemingly trying to keep the fight alive. "The place where you ran to, the place where you sought out your haven with Rory safely away from me. What is this, are you just trying to rub it in my face that while you and Rory are reconciled, we will never be?"

"Yes Mom, that's exactly what I'm doing."

"Are you serious?"

"No I'm not serious. I didn't pick this location, Emma did. She had no way of knowing your specific dislike for this place; she just came here for a school dance and fell in love with it. She knew that Rory and I had a history here, and she thought it would be an appropriate place for our reunion party. I happen to agree with this sentiment, Rory and I have so many happy memories here, and my house wouldn't have been big enough for all these people.

"Well, Emma's a bright girl, she should have thought about how I would feel. She should have considered the other guests here that might not be happy with the choice."

Before Emma could respond to Emily's ridiculous accusation, Lorelai did. "Okay, seriously Mom, you are not going to pin any of this on Emma. She doesn't have anything to do with anything going on between you and I, she didn't do anything, and besides that, you're the only guest here that isn't happy with this location."

Probably hearing the yelling and coming over to mediate, Rory showed up. "Hi Grandma, hi Grandpa!" she said, dragging Emily's attention temporarily away from Lorelai, who took advantage of the moment to grab Luke and go talk to other people. In the same moment, Sookie said something nobody caught about dinner and walked briskly away from the group. "Glad you could make it."

"Hello Rory," Richard said. Emily stared at Rory for a moment, then seemed to forgive her for interrupting her argument and said hello.

Emma desperately wanted to take her friends out of the situation and explain to them, especially Adriane, that this was not the way Star's Hollow usually was, but figured that ducking out would only give Emily one more thing to use against her. Emma had no idea why Emily suddenly seemed to dislike her as much as she disliked Lorelai, but knew she couldn't do much about it.

A bit of an awkward silence followed, and Emma was the one who ended up breaking it. "So Grandma, Grandpa, this is my best friend Adriane and my boyfriend Alex."

Adriane stepped out slightly from behind Emma, as was her custom, and nodded slightly toward Emily and Richard in acknowledgement. Alex greeted them each politely by their titles of Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore.

"Emma, how old are you?" Emily asked, rather than greeting either of her friends politely. Emily seemed to have dropped her usual "politeness first" policy in the excitement of arguing and being displeased.

"I'm sixteen Grandma, why?" Emma found that repeatedly referring to adults by their names tended to impress them into forgetting their displeasure. In Emily's case, it didn't seem to be working.

"Oh, sixteen…" Emily said, as if she had expected this. She looked mockingly reminiscent for a moment, and Emma wasn't sure where she was going with this.

"So Alex, where do you go to school?" Richard asked, seemingly attempting to pry the conversation away from his wife.

"I go to Chilton with Emma. We actually first met officially in English class."

"Shouldn't you have been listening to your teacher and doing your work in English class rather than getting to know one another?" Emily asked, now seemingly determined to provide herself with a reason to dislike both Alex and Emma for reasons that were all her own.

"Well yes, we were, we actually met after the bell."

"What sort of grades do you get, Alex?" Emily seemed to take all of her previously stored energy and use it to interrogate Alex.

"My grades are actually fairly good," Alex said, answering the question automatically, not seeming to think much of the interrogation.

"What does that mean, 'fairly good'? A's, B's, C's?"

"A's. I get an occasional B if it's an exceptionally difficult class, but mostly A's."

"Oh." Emily didn't seem able to find much to complain about in this category. "Where do you live, Alex?"

"Hartford. Not too far from Emma."

"Oh, well I live in Hartford as well, where do you live in Hartford?"

"Seventh Street."

"Oh." Emily seemed to realize that none of the houses on seventh were nearly as large as Emma's and her own, which seemed to give her the ammunition she needed. "So, how did you get into Chilton? It's an expensive school." Emily didn't bother trying to gradually work her way up to this question, but simply asked it.

"I applied for a scholarship and I got it."

"Well, that's nice," Emily said, but her voice said otherwise.

Emma thought about trying to get out of the situation herself, but Rory did it for her. "You know Grandma, I should probably go talk to some of the other guests now, considering it's partially my party, and I'm sure Emma and her friends have other people to see as well."

"Yes yes, I suppose you're right," Emily said more than a little reluctantly. "Well, I'm sure I'll talk to all of you again tonight."

"I'm sure you will," Rory said, in so dismissing them all.

Emma couldn't remember ever being more pleased to walk away from a conversation in her entire life.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Emma found herself in one of the last places she would have expected, and old upstairs guest room with Alex and Adriane, no one else. "Sorry about that guys, I had no idea that was going to happen," was what she told her friends.

"I know you didn't," Alex said. "Star's Hollow is usually so much friendlier," he said, more to Adriane than to Emma, but for Emma's benefit.

Emma found him sweet, but was a little more than annoyed with her grandmother at the moment. "Yea, she's not part of Star's Hollow though," Emma said. "I've never seen her like that though; I don't know what got into her."

"No problem Emma," Adriane said. "Not your fault."

"I know, I just wish she wouldn't have interrogated you like that Alex, I don't know why she did that. I think she's mad at Lorelai, but for some reason she's taking it out on everybody else. Anyway, we can hang here for awhile if you want." Emma felt a little bad for Adriane, who didn't like these types of things when they went well, let alone when they were going as badly as this was this early on.

"Doesn't matter," Adriane said, to Emma's surprise. "I actually sort of want to meet some of the crazy town folk you've told me so much about. I met Taylor, but how about Kirk and Lulu, and I didn't really get to meet Sookie, either."

Moments like these were the moments that Emma remembered why she and Adriane were best friends. Adriane was super sweet, but really quiet. Sometimes Emma forgot that she wasn't quite shy, but she only talked when she truly had something to say. Occasionally Adriane would surprise Emma by telling her that she wanted to talk to people or do something that Emma wouldn't have thought she would like to do. "Alright then," Emma said, "back downstairs we go. You don't mind, do you Alex?"

"No, actually I'm good. If you want to go introduce Adriane to some people, I can go off myself; I actually know quite a few of the people here."

Emma knew Alex was trying to be nice, but she didn't quite understand. "Alex, I don't even know that many of the people here."

"No problem, you know Kirk and I go way back, and Sookie and Jackson are around here somewhere, Luke likes me, even Taylor doesn't mind me as much as he does some. Seriously Emma, you guys go, I kind of want to wander myself for awhile."

Seeing how sincere Alex was, Emma gave him the benefit of the doubt. "Whatever, go ahead. Little odd, though."

"Thanks, for the odd thing. I have my cell phone, call if you can't find me; we'll track each other down."

"Sure." The three of them went downstairs, then Alex went one way and Emma and Adriane went the other. "Okay, let's go find Sookie and Jackson," Emma said to Adriane. Kitchen probably, let's go."

"Sure."

Emma and Adriane found Sookie and Jackson in the kitchen along with a man and a woman Emma didn't recognize who appeared to be in their early twenties.

"So happy you guys could make it," Emma heard Sookie saying to the man and woman as she walked into the room.

Jackson was standing beside a large wooden case filled with some kind of fruit that Emma had never seen before. He was staring at them much like Sookie was staring at the man and woman in front of her, with an abnormal amount of adoration.

The man had brown hair and brown eyes, and was about medium height, just slightly shorter than Jackson. He was relatively good looking, although he didn't really have any distinguishing features such as facial hair or glasses. He wore dark jeans and a dark green shirt.

The woman was pretty. Her hair was not blonde, but a very light brown. Emma guessed that it had been blonde when she was younger but had darkened with age. Her eyes were green, and she wore a brown skirt and a shirt that was a light shade of green.

Sookie looked up defensively as she heard the door to the kitchen open, and knowing Sookie, Emma would guess that she didn't want just anybody in her sacred kitchen. Seeing that it was Emma and Adriane though, she greeted them. "Hey girls, come on in!" By the time she said "come on in," Emma and Adriane were already in the room, which slightly defeated the purpose. "Davie, Martha, this is Emma, Rory's daughter, and this is her friend Adriane." In her excitement, Sookie had pointed to the two of them backwards, pointing out Emma as Adriane and vice versa.

Emma laughed, and said, "I'm Emma, she's Adriane."

The woman, Martha, looked slightly confused, and asked Emma, "So, are you Rory's daughter, or is she?"

"No, I'm Rory's daughter," Emma said, still laughing slightly at Sookie's mix-up.

Sookie looked slightly embarrassed. "I know who they are, I just…"

"You're excited, I get it Mom," Martha said, smiling.

"So, girls, this is my daughter Martha, and my son Davie." This time she pointed to the right people, and Emma smiled.

"Oh, okay. I've heard about you."

"All good?" Davie asked.

"Of course, Sookie wouldn't say anything mean about you."

"Never know," he said with a laugh.

"So, you guys know my Mom?" Emma asked.

"No actually," Martha said. "I know your grandmother really well, Lorelai, but not your Mom. She moved when I was about a year old, I guess she and your grandmother weren't getting along."

"Oh yea, I should have realized that. You know Lorelai though? I guess you would, your mom's her best friend…"

"Yea, she's great. I love your grandmother."

"Me too. What do you do, I mean, are you in college?"

"Yea, I'm in my first year at Connecticut Culinary, I'm going to be a chef like Mom."

"I'm sure Sookie's happy with that," Emma said, glancing over at Sookie, who had totally disregarded their conversation, and was now shaking one of Jackson's odd fruits, most likely making sure the quality was appropriate for whatever she might have been using it for.

"Yea, she's happy. A lot of people have said that it would've been virtually impossible for one of us not to have become a chef with her as a mother, so I figure it might as well be me. I'm not sure I'll ever be as good as Mom, but I can try."

"I'm sure you'll do well. She's probably taught you much of what she knows, right?"

"Not really. I mean, she's tried, especially once she found out I was really interested. You know, when I was little I said I wanted to be a chef like Mommy, but a lot of little kids say things like that. When I was older and she found out I was serious, she really helped me a lot more. We always cooked together when I was younger, but she's always busy here, and I'm at school, and really she knows so much that I don't think she'll ever be able to teach me half of it."

"I can see that," Emma said, laughing a little. Emma realized that Sookie's son Davie was just standing there listening to the conversation, so she got him involved. "So Davie, what do you do? Are you still in school?"

"I prefer Dave," Davie said. "Only my mom still calls me Davie, and my Dad."

"Oh, sorry."

"No problem. Actually, I attend MIT. I'm in my fourth year, and I'm thinking about going for my masters in engineering. I'm going to be an electronic engineer."

"Oh, cool, that's what my boyfriend wants to do. He's here somewhere, you should talk to him. He's awesome in math and science; I think he'd do well."

That's all you need, really. That and persistence. I lot of people I know dropped down to easier classes when some of the math got difficult."

"Math's not really my thing. I can do it alright, I just don't like it. I like science and people. I'm thinking about going into psychology."

"I have friends in psychology. Most people I've talked to seem to like it."

"I think I'd like it. My mom thinks I'm crazy, she never got really into science, she always liked English, writing, reading, and my dad's, well I don't know what he was into in college, but he runs a few newspapers now, so same kind of deal. I don't know who I take after, but it's definitely not one of them."

"Well, it's funny, have you ever seen my mom do math? She can't even add and subtract in her head, it gives her a headache. She's told me she's allergic to math. And you know my dad, he's a produce man, not a whole lot of math involved," Dave smiled. "So I guess it doesn't matter what your parents are into, everyone ends up doing their own thing anyway."

"That's true," Emma said. She thought of Lorelai, and couldn't think of an instance when this philosophy would hold truer.

"Yea, like Lorelai," Martha said, echoing Emma's thoughts.

"My sister is one of the exceptions to this rule," Dave said, smiling.

"Guess so," Emma said.

"Yea, I guess. Mom's called me her favorite sous-chef since I was little. She still calls me that," Martha rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "I kind of like it though. I'm helping with dinner tonight."

"That's cool. I guess you know what it is then?" Emma shot Martha a hopeful look.

"That seems to be the big mystery tonight, doesn't it? Actually no, she won't even tell me until it's time to make it, which should be getting close. I almost doubt she'll even tell me then, she might just tell me what to do and make me figure out what it is on my own. She's done that one too many times before." Martha looked at Emma with slight mock nervousness.

"Sounds like Sookie." Emma looked over at her, and almost at that exact time, Sookie looked at the clock on the wall in the kitchen and started waving her arms wildly. "Oh jeez it's late! Out, out, out, time to make food!" She waved everyone out of the room, and then added as an afterthought, "Wait! Martha, you can stay."

Emma smiled as she exited the kitchen. Sookie and Martha seemed to have a relationship that rivaled Lorelai and Rory's. Just as she and Adriane got out of the kitchen, Emma noticed a familiar face in the crowd coming toward them that she hadn't yet seen. "Hey Dad," she said to the tall smiling blonde figure approaching them.

"Hey girls," he said enthusiastically.

"Glad you could make it." Emma looked at the clock on the wall. "You got out of work a little early."

"Yea, I figured I could take off a little earlier than normal for a special occasion. This is a great bash Emma, you really pulled it off."

"Guess I did," Emma said, smiling as she looked around for what felt like the millionth time.

"Yea, this is great, Em. Hi Adriane," Logan said, looking over at his daughter's friend.

"Hi Mr. Huntzburger," Adriane said.

"So, what have you girls been doing?" Logan wanted to know.

"Just wandering, talking to people. Did you ever meet Sookie?"

"Oh, once or twice, years ago."

"We met her kids, Martha and Dave. They're really nice; Martha's only a few years older than me."

"That's nice."

Emma saw that her father seemed a little uninterested, so she pointed out the one thing that always seemed to make him happy at things like this, although it was Star's Hollow and this consisted mostly of Miss Patty's famous party punch. "Bar's that way."


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

After introducing Adriane to everyone in Star's Hollow she knew and some she didn't, Emma wanted to go find Alex. "I still don't know why he wanted to go by himself," Emma said as they walked through the hall semi-aimlessly in search of her boyfriend.

"Well, he probably knows we haven't had a chance to hang out in awhile, right? Maybe he wanted to give us time to ourselves, at least sort of."

"I guess so. Whatever, he's my friend too though, and he doesn't know that many people here. I don't even know that many people here."

"He's being nice, Emma. Deal with it."

"Okay, okay," Emma said, with mock exasperation, although smiling. "Oh, there he is, with Dave," she said as she spotted her boyfriend. She couldn't help but find it ironic that Alex and Dave had managed to find each other. If they hadn't she had been planning to introduce them.

Alex saw the girls walking toward him and was happy to greet Emma. "There you guys are," he said. "Jeez, you have no idea how many times I've had to introduce myself as Lorelai's granddaughter's boyfriend Alex. Some of them got really confused."

"Yikes, I'm confused and I know who you are."

"Yea, fortunately everyone I've talked to at least knows Lorelai."

"That would make matters a little simpler. I guess you met Dave."

"Yep, guess you've met him too?"

"Yea, about an hour and a half ago." Emma looked at Dave. "Do you still remember who I am?" she joked.

"Emma, Adriane," he said, proving he knew them rather than just saying he did.

"Very good," Emma said. "Think we'll eat soon? It's after seven."

"Knowing Mom, yea, real soon," Dave said.

"Good, I'm getting hungry. Sure you don't know what Sookie's making?" Emma asked Dave.

"No, you heard Martha, she wouldn't even tell her. Trust me, if she told anyone, it'd have been Martha. Or maybe Lorelai, but I don't think she did."

"So nobody knows what's for dinner. It's amazing anyone even showed up," Alex said. He had met Sookie briefly, but Emma smiled at how evident it was from this comment alone that he hadn't tried her food.

"You've never had my mom's food, have you?" Dave asked Alex.

"No I haven't."

"Sookie's food is amazing, it doesn't matter what it is," Emma said. "As long as people know Sookie's cooking, they don't care what's for dinner."

"And knowing my mom there'll be some selection anyway," Dave said. "So even if someone's allergic or claims not to like something, they can eat something else."

"So you're saying it doesn't matter what's for dinner?"

"Well, not really, but we still want to know," Emma said. "Everything tastes different, it's just all good when Sookie cooks."

At that moment, Sookie came out of the kitchen. "Dining room," was all she said, and a wave of people began moving toward the dining room. Emma could make out a few words in the crowd here and there, and they all seemed to be inquiring as to what they would be served.

Emma took a seat between Adriane and Alex at the dining room table, which was already long but further elongated to suit the crowd. Emma imagined that if she sat at one end she wouldn't be able to see the person who sat at the other. She knew this was an exaggeration, but somehow it seemed a realistic one. Once everyone sat down, Emma surveyed her surroundings: Kirk had sat beside Alex, Lulu beside Kirk; Martha was on Adriane's other side, followed by Jackson and an empty seat Emma could only assume was saved for Sookie. Lorelai and Rory sat in the center of the table opposite Emma and Adriane, Luke on Lorelai's other side and Logan beside Rory. The rest of the table seemed to fill in naturally, every person sitting beside others they knew and liked.

When Emma saw that Martha had sat down, she leaned around Adriane and tapped her shoulder. "Martha, what's on the menu?" she asked casually.

"Still can't tell you, Mom'd kill me."

The vast group of people grew naturally silent as Sookie came out to pass out menus, which were really just normal sheets of white paper with menu choices printed on them, decorated with pictures of what looked like various types of food with arms and legs dancing across the page. "Cute," Emma said aloud when she got hers. Nobody else seemed to notice the eccentric menu design, as almost all were absorbed by the writing.

The menu items looked fairly standard, chicken with some sort of herb rub and roast beef seasoned in some way only Sookie would have thought of, but Emma was certain all the food would be delicious. No less than three salads and two soups were listed as the appetizer course, and four desserts were featured on the bottom of the menu.

"Dave wasn't kidding about choices," Emma said to Adriane, who smiled. Emma sometimes wondered how her friend could be so quiet in public, yet was one of the craziest people Emma knew when they were alone.

And so the craziness of the dinner hour began. Servers ran around in frenzy, attempting to keep five and six orders straight each. Many attempted to carry three and four plates at once, and Emma watched at least two get dropped. Everyone seemed to talk at once, and Emma seemed to be responding to all of them at once. She wasn't totally sure of all of the conversations she had over dinner, she just seemed to respond to everyone naturally and frequently.

Alex seemed to be doing the same thing as she was, almost to the same extent. Everyone wanted to know what Lorelai's granddaughter's boyfriend was like. Some, like Babette and Miss Patty, seemed more interested in Emma's boyfriend than they were in Emma. Rather than being insulted, Emma found this funny. She sometimes wasn't sure whether they were doing it out of protection, although they didn't know her well. It seemed much of Star's Hollow loved her for her mother and grandmother without talking to her much at all. The other alternative was that they were talking to Alex because they were interested, but Emma tried not to consider this alternative for long because, although it made her laugh, it was perverted to such an extent that Emma would rather ignore it.

The food, as expected, was wonderful, especially, in Emma's opinion, the dessert. The dessert was almost always her favorite part of the meal, a trait she had inherited from her mother, who had inherited it from Lorelai. When almost everyone had finished their dessert, Emma knew what she was supposed to do. She hoped the message had been relayed to all the guests.

Emma remembered the code word for "present time," and began to relay it around the table. Emma knew people would bring gifts for Lorelai and Rory, even if only small things. She also knew they'd love every minute of it, but she wanted to keep this part of the party a secret. The code word thing had been Sookie's idea, and as hostess, Emma had to be the one to get it started. She turned to Adriane, as they had planned. "Adriane, what's your favorite flower?" she tried to ask casually. It seemed a bizarre question, but unable to think of a better codeword, she and Sookie had settled on "daisy," mostly because it would be unlikely to come up in other conversation.

"I really like daisies," Adriane said, just as planned. Many people around them seemed to hear, and began passing similar questions around the table.

To Emma's pleasure, Lorelai and Rory didn't seem to suspect anything; they were actually deep in their own conversation and didn't even seem to notice. A few people got up from the table, presumably to go to their cars for their presents. Those that had small gifts had stored theirs stored in their pockets.

Alex was among those. Emma, Alex and Adriane had pitched in to get Rory and Lorelai's present, and it had been agreed that Alex would go to get it from the trunk of Rory's car, where Emma had put it when Rory hadn't been looking. Emma and Alex briefly held hands, and Emma slipped her key to Rory's car into Alex's hand. Rory had given Emma a key when she had gotten her permit. She trusted Emma not to drive away without an adult, which was convenient in situations like this.

Emma and Sookie had chosen to give out the presents at the table, simply because everyone would already be together and it would be simpler that way. Sure enough, as people began coming back with presents, Lorelai noticed.

"What are they carrying?" Lorelai asked as a general question, smiling excitedly. "Presents? Emma, you didn't tell me this party involved presents."

"That was the surprise."

"You didn't tell me there was a surprise."

"That was the other surprise."

"You hate surprises."

"You don't."

As Lorelai smiled, a strange expression crossed Rory's face, as if she was an elementary school child who had been left out of a game between friends, but it left as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Emma wondering if she had imagined it. As if one fluent motion, presents were passed to the pair, they were opened, and the wrappings were discarded. They got everything from appliances to CDs to jewelry to matching T-shirts, all of which seemed to please Lorelai immensely.

Emma noticed that the only person seeming to enjoy watching Lorelai and Rory as much as she herself was Luke. He watched with as much affection for both of them in his eyes as Emma held in her heart. Every smile to cross the face of either one was echoed on Luke's face, every gift brought as much pleasure to him as to the recipient.

By contrast, Logan's expression was pleased in a silly rather than affectionate way. He laughed in a loud, almost drunken way, although Emma could tell he was not drunk. Any pleasure felt for the recipients was clearly one-sided, with no pleasure whatsoever felt for Lorelai.

Gifts appeared from two people Emma didn't realize were in attendance: Lane and Paris. "Hey Mom, are Lane and Paris here?" Emma leaned across the table to ask her mother; sure she'd know the answer.

"Oh yea, they showed up right before dinner. They're sitting that way, go say hi," she told her daughter, presenting the suggestion more as a reward than a command. Emma took it as such, and got up, excited to see two people she hadn't seen in awhile.

Emma walked along the table, scanning for either of the two familiar faces. "Emma!" she heard Lane's voice greet her, and she turned toward it and saw the familiar face of one of her mother's best friends.

"Lane! Hi!" Emma said. She had always referred to Lane and Paris as nothing but Lane and Paris. Many children had been brought up to refer to parents' friends as "Aunt" or "Uncle" or by their official Mrs. or Mr. title, but Emma hadn't.

"Hi Emma, having fun?"

"Yea, actually, I am. I met Sookie's kids, they're really nice. I've basically been talking to everyone, it is fun."

"Sounds it," Lane said, with some aspect of genuine enthusiasm in her voice.

"I didn't know you were here," Emma said.

"I got here right before dinner. We had an interview this morning at a radio station, and it ran late."

"I love how you have interviews and crazy things like that. It's so cool, I love that I know someone in a band."

"I love that I know someone in a band, too," she said, laughing. "It still feels a little unreal, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it, but I do love it."

"I'll bet you do," Emma said, and trailed off. "Hi Zach," she said, noticing Lane's husband sitting beside her.

"Hey Emma," Zach said in an unenthusiastic, typical Zach tone. Emma didn't quite understand how he could be so constantly unemotional, or how Lane could tolerate his monotony for extended periods of time. To each his own.

"Kay Lane, just wanted to say hi, now I gotta go say hi to Paris and finish watching the opening. I want to be there when they open ours."

"Sure. Glad you stopped. Talk to you later."

"I'm sure I will. Adriane's here, and you have to meet my boyfriend at some point, too."

"Wow Emma, I thought I was torturing Zach by dragging him along, and he's my husband. You brought your boyfriend? Do you hate him or something?"

Emma smiled over-sweetly, to the point that it was almost sarcastic. "No Lane, I don't hate him," she said, "he actually wanted to come."

Lane heard the implied "he's not Zach," and smiled to let Emma know she got the joke. Emma knew full well that Zach was too thick to catch the implication, so she just smiled and walked away, waving slightly at Lane.

Paris was only a few seats away from Lane, so Emma found her relatively quickly. It didn't hurt that she was in the midst of some in-depth debate with some poor Star's Hollow resident that Emma didn't recognize, and her voice was very clearly audible, even over the ever-present low roar that seemed to exist from the sheer presence of a large number of people in a relatively small space.

"Hi Paris," Emma said, distracting her from her debate.

The man she was debating looked relieved, but his face contracted into its previous nervous expression when Paris turned and said, "Don't think I'm finished, because I'm not." Turning toward Emma, Paris greeted her unemotionally, but by no means in the same way as Zach had. "Hello Emma," she said.

"Hi Paris, hi Doyle," Emma said, turning to Paris and her husband respectively.

"Hello Emma," Doyle said naturally.

"What's new?" she asked.

"Not much, what's new with you?" Paris said politely.

"Not a whole lot. Adriane's here, so's my boyfriend, you'll meet him later I'm sure."

"Good. Nice guy?"

"Very nice."

"Smart?"

"Very smart. He goes to Chilton, too."

"Good."

"Talk to you later, I want to watch them open our present."

"Sure. Talk to you later."

Emma loved how conversations with Paris were almost always short in words, but fairly meaningful. It was like talking to Luke, but completely different. With Luke, Emma was always trying to squeeze extra words out of him, like Lorelai often did. With Paris, what needed to be said was said. It was all very intellectual, the exact point got across in as few words as possible. In their short conversation, Paris had inquired as to everything in Emma's life within one sentence, and had double-checked that Alex was a good guy with only a few words. As unemotional as Paris could be, Emma liked that she cared enough to ask these basic questions. Coming from anyone else it would mean nothing, but from Paris it meant a lot.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

"Am I done?" Lorelai asked, looking around at the multitudes of presents surrounding her.

"Nope, one more," Emma said, handing her the large basket that had been sitting beside her.

"Okay. This one's from Emma, Alex, and Adriane," she said excitedly, more for the pleasure of the crowd watching than because she hadn't known who it was from. As they had been doing, Lorelai started pulling the wrapping off of one side while Rory pulled at the paper from the other. "Ooh, cool a movie basket!" she said. "Excellent idea, guys. Nice spread too," she said, referring to the junk food inside.

"Thought you'd like it," Emma said.

"It's great guys," Rory said to the three of them.

"Thanks Mrs. Huntzburger, it was Emma's idea," Alex said. "We all pitched in though."

"Great idea," Lorelai said again. "I'm sure we'll use it," she said with a slightly devious look in her eye.

"Mom gets to keep it until you're going to use it though," Emma said. "Neither one of you can view or consume any of it unless you're together."

"Don't you trust me, Emma?"

"Not with candy."

"Fine."

"Wise," Luke said to Emma. "She'd eat it all herself… tonight."

"I know, that's why it doesn't live at your house."

"I'd keep it from her if you want."

"It's fine at my house, I can watch it."

"So now you don't trust me either?" Rory asked, pretending to be insulted.

"I don't know," Emma said teasingly. "Everyone says you're like her."

"Sad but true," Rory said, smiling at her mother.

"I think there's one more present," Lorelai said.

"Where? I think everyone within a ten mile radius has already given us something," Rory said, visibly happy.

"This present isn't for us," Lorelai said. "It's for Emma." Lorelai started digging in her jeans pocket, and pulled out a small box that looked like it was meant to hold some kind of jewelry.

"Lorelai, didn't I get enough jewelry the night of the dance?" Emma asked, semi-seriously. Emma noticed Rory was frowning. She definitely hadn't known Lorelai was getting Emma anything.

"Just open it," Lorelai said.

"Really, you don't need to give me anything. What's this for?"

"Emma, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. Rory would be at your house, I'd be at my house, and it is possible that we would never have spoken to one another again." Emma raised one eyebrow skeptically, sure this wouldn't have happened. Lorelai caught the glance and said, "Now, I'm not saying that's what would have happened, we might have made up eventually, but we might not have. You gave us an extra push, and you deserve a present. Now open it!" Lorelai said this not as a request, but a command, and a very firm one.

Emma carefully lifted the lid of the box to reveal, not jewelry, but a key. "What's this to?" Emma asked, although she thought she knew the answer.

"I'll bet you know what it's to," Lorelai said. "Out back? I made an extra key for you. Now you can fix it up as much as you want. Make it look nice again."

Emma hugged Lorelai over the table. "That's so sweet," she said, sitting down again. "I want you to help me though; I don't want to do it myself. That's no fun."

"You know, I want you to do it. I already did it once, I don't really have any need or desire to do it again. If you do it, you'll do it differently than I would. I want to see what you do with it. In fact, I don't even want to see it until it's done. Take some before and after pictures for me, though. I'm sure the transformation will be amazing. If you want help, bring Adriane over or something. I'm sure Alex can help with any of the manly type things, and if there's anything he can't do, I'm sure Luke will help you, right guys?"

"Oh yea, I'll come over any time. You know that, Emma," Alex said.

"Yea, I can help with stuff," Luke said. "If you need me to."

"See? You can do it on your own. Although I will make one exception," Lorelai said.

"What?"

"For the safety of probably the entire world, anything that needs sewn can be given to me. You have to pick the fabric and everything yourself, though."

"Good. If I tried to use I sewing machine… or a needle… bad idea."

"I know. Sewing can be my job, but that's the only one I'll take. I'm busy enough with the inn, anyway."

"You're always busy with the inn."

"I guess that's one thing that hasn't changed," Rory said.

"Has much changed?" Lorelai asked, smiling.

"Not really," Rory was smiling, too. "It is amazing how much can stay the same for twenty years."

"One thing that has changed?" Lorelai said, asking it like a question. "She's here now," Lorelai indicated Emma. Lorelai and Rory were talking quietly, as though they were alone. Emma heard every work, not sure whether she was still a part of the conversation.

"So it's better now?" Rory asked, still talking in soft tones, but visibly aware that Emma was listening.

"It's better now," Lorelai said, still talking softly. Emma couldn't tell if she knew Emma was listening or not, but it was evident by her voice and her expression that she hadn't said it just because Emma was listening.

"Bye girls," Sookie said as she and Jackson walked toward the door. Nearly everyone had left, the only ones left were Lorelai, Rory, Emma, Alex and Adriane. Logan and even Luke had gone home awhile ago.

"Bye Sookie!" Emma said. "Hey Mom, how long are you guys going to be here?"

"I wouldn't mind hanging out awhile longer," Rory said. "But if you want to leave, we can go."

"I don't really need to stay, I'll let you and Lorelai hang on your own," Emma said. "Alex's dad says he can take all of us home."

"Okay. Does he need directions?"

"No, he knows where it is. He's been to the Hollow before."

"Okay. That's fine with me as long as it's okay with Adriane's parents."

"She already called, it's fine. He should be here soon, ten minutes. He was already on the way when Alex called."

"Okay. Did you guys have a good time?" Rory asked, more to Alex and Adriane than to Emma.

"Yea, it was fun," Adriane said.

"I liked it," Alex said.

"Good. Star's Hollow not too crazy for you?"

"It has its moments," Alex said, and Adriane laughed a little.

"Well yes, it does, but it's a good town," Lorelai inserted herself into the conversation. "You get used to the oddities and crazy townsfolk, particularly if you're one of them."

"Are you one of them?" Alex asked good-naturedly.

"But of course," Lorelai said. "Just ask Luke. I've been crazy forever. Better yet, ask my daughter." Lorelai saw that Alex was only smiling, and said, "Go ahead, ask her."

Alex smiled, and purely to humor Lorelai, asked, "Okay Mrs. Huntzburger, has she been crazy forever?"

"Yep," Rory said. "She has. At least for as long as I've known her, which is… well I'm not going to tell you how old I am, so never mind." Rory smiled.

Just then Alex's dad pulled up. "So when are you coming over, Emma?"

"I'd like to come over tomorrow for awhile if you don't mind," she said. "Start working on the shed. I want to at least get some ideas."

"Oh yea, no problem. I'll be home, or at the inn. Come see me before you start, and maybe we can do something afterward. We'll go see a movie or maybe just go to Luke's, we'll see how much time we have."

"Sounds fun."

"Emma, don't you have to do your homework tomorrow?" Rory asked.

"Nope. Did it yesterday."

"She takes after you," Lorelai said to Rory, almost mockingly.

"Bye, guys," Emma said. "We gotta go, Alex's dad's waiting.

"Oh, sorry!" Lorelai said. "Yea, go, get out of here. Bye Alex, bye Adriane, hope to see you again soon!"

"Maybe I'll bring Adriane tomorrow if she's allowed to come. Would that be okay Lorelai?"

"Yea, of course."

"Okay, well I'll see you tomorrow Lorelai," Emma said. "And Mom, see you tonight, or tomorrow, depending on how late you get home."

"Bye Mrs. Huntzburger, bye Lorelai," Alex said.

"Bye!" Adriane said generally, to anyone who might have been listening.

The three walked out, leaving Rory and Lorelai alone. "So what are you doing tomorrow, Rory?" Lorelai asked. "Are you going to get started calling Yale and begging them to take you for classes?" Lorelai smiled, mocking but visibly proud, although Rory didn't seem to notice.

"Oh I don't know, I don't really have anything to do tomorrow. My daughter's not going to be home, you'll be here…" Rory hoped her voice sounded slightly angry, because she was. Even though she and her mother were on good terms again, her mother was now closer to her daughter than to her. Her daughter was much closer to her mother than to her as well, and Rory didn't like it a bit. "What makes you think you can just have her over without asking me, anyway? And that shed, I didn't even know about that. What if I don't want my daughter to fix up an old shed?" Rory was all but shouting now.

"Okay Rory, what's up?" Lorelai asked. "First of all, you know just as well as I do that that shed is not just an old shed. That was our home for so many years… too many years. Second of all, Emma is sixteen now. I don't think it's really up to you whether she wants to fix up that shed or not. This is her thing. She knows how special it is, and she's now just as connected to it as we are. It's not up to you anymore how your daughter spends her time."

"Don't tell me it's not up to me, of course it's up to me, she's my daughter, not yours."

"Rory, I know she's not my daughter. You're my daughter. You're my only daughter. You're it, kid. Emma's yours.

"I know that."

"Then what the heck's this about?" Lorelai was getting impatient herself, and was borderline yelling.

"I don't know," Rory said quietly, although she was lying. "I don't want to fight with you anymore."

Lorelai sighed, and there was a long pause. "This is how it's going to be now, huh? We fight, we make up, we fight… Can't it be like it used to be?"

"Doesn't look like it," Rory said. "Not right away. It will be eventually, I guess. I think…" Rory trailed off. "I think our relationship needs more time. Until it's like it was again."

"Maybe you're right," Lorelai said. "Why can't we just…"

"We were apart for so long. Did you think we could just make up like that and have everything be as it was?"

"I thought so. I thought our relationship was strong enough."

"I think we need time to get to know one another again. More has changed than we think. More than we realize."

"We'll be good," Lorelai said. "I know we will. We have Emma now, it'll be even better."

"Yea," Rory said. "We'll be good."


End file.
